Since bringing home Babe the service dog, and writing my first two articles about our experience, I have been asked several questions regarding why our family opted for a service dog. I decided to dive more into my daughter’s story and what led to us making our decision.
When my daughter was an infant, she was diagnosed with a rare and dangerous form of epilepsy and was, at one point, having tens of seizures a day. As a parent, there was nothing more frightening than watching my baby suffer and not being able to stop the thing that was causing it.
After several months of trying and switching medications and therapies, we finally found some relief and her condition improved. We soon learned that her epilepsy was likely caused by a genetic disorder and the likelihood of it returning and changing was exceptionally high. I was immediately gripped by fear. I know from experience that all it takes is one bad seizure at the wrong time or place to take the independence or life of a person. I became determined to do everything in my power to prevent that from happening. I spent hours researching my daughter’s health conditions, family history, and spoke to numerous health care professionals. In the end, based on the complexity of her case, I decided, with the agreement and support of her health care team, to pursue acquiring a service dog for her.
Babe the service dog, as we have affectionately called her, came from an organization based out of Xenia Ohio that breeds and trains service dogs for children and veterans. For my daughter, they trained Babe in specific skills including seizure alert using scent detection; mobility assistance using a harness; seeking out and pushing buttons for ease of access; providing deep pressure therapy following a seizure to help with emotional regulation and disrupting dangerous behaviors.
Babe began training just days after being born to become the well-trained medial device and companion that my daughter needs to be as independent as possible.
After two years of training, my family and I went to Xenia Ohio to the 4 Paws for Ability Training Center to embark on a two week crash course in everything Babe was trained to do and begin the bonding process between her and my daughter. I learned everything about the training methods used, how to continue training, and how to keep Babe healthy as a working animal.
Our first night bringing Babe back to our hotel, we were stopped by the person working the front desk. He was upset that we were taking Babe to our hotel room because it was not a ‘pet friendly’ room. We explained that Babe was a service dog and he could not deny us entry. His exact reply was ‘a pet is a pet.’ This is not the case. A service dog is a medical device and cannot be denied entrance for any reason including allergies or someone being afraid of the dog. While a business can ask for compensation for any damage a service animal might cause, just as they could request the same if a person causes damage, they cannot deny entry.
I have been asked why we chose a dog as opposed to an electronic device to track her seizures and other medical episodes. The answer to that is that, for my daughter, her form of epilepsy is notorious for changing and devices have a hard time catching the type of seizure she is currently dealing with. Babe, even during her relatively short time being with my daughter, has alerted to three serious medical events that even I, with years of experience looking for such things, completely missed. Because of those alerts, I was able to care for my daughter more effectively and record the priceless information to pass on to her medical team so that they can better tailor her medical treatment.
Some have also asked if Babe ever gets time off. She absolutely does. At least once a day she gets uninterrupted time going on long walks or playing fetch with my daughter and our family. She also enjoys taking long naps on the air conditioning vent and playing chase with her best friend, Ruby the Hen. However, when Babe is in public with “her girl”, she is working and unfortunately cannot be pet or cuddled. However, she is happy to receive cuddles when she’s off the clock.
If you see Babe out in public, please give her, and her girl a little extra space. Babe does like to carry around stickers to hand out to her fans though so you are welcome to ask a grown up with them for one.
Service Dogs are a wonderful resource that are life changing for those who have them. From a boy with Down syndrome whose new best buddy is allowing him to experience more freedom by keeping him tethered to his people to stay safe, to a recent high school graduate with a chronic medical condition who can apply for her first semester of college with her handsome boy trained to help her during medical emergencies. Service Animals are irreplaceable medical devices that offer their handlers and families the peace of mind and support they desperately need.
If you have any questions, want to see if a Service Dog is the right fit for you or your loved one, or want to support an organization who works tirelessly to provide these life saving companions, visit 4pawsforability.org.
