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Puppies that are making a difference

As part of their Epilepsy Awareness Month activities, the folks at UCB presented Canine Assistants with much needed supplies collected through a company wide donation drive. The supplies were presented to Canine Assistants at their graduation in support of their seizure response dogs.

Canine Assistants is a non-profit organization that helps people with disabilities, including epilepsy, lead more independent lives by providing them with service dogs.

These dogs are adopted from various organizations and selectively screened for personality, temperament, and general health. Seizure response dogs are specially trained to remain next to a person during a seizure, summon help, or retrieve a phone prior to a seizure.

The cost of one service dog is nearly $20,000, which covers the in-depth training, ongoing support and veterinarian care for the life of the dog. But the benefits could outweigh the cost since, certain dogs may even develop the ability to predict and react in advance to an oncoming seizure once they are placed with their recipient.

For more information on Canine Assistants visit their website or view the documentary on PBS which includes interviews with trainers, the executive director and the recipients.

Let us know what you think about the idea of a canine assistant to help people with epilepsy. And what are your thoughts on the cost?

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Founder and CEO Jessica brings a unique perspective to this leading epilepsy blog as she was diagnosed with epilepsy as a teen. She also brings 20+ years experience in marketing.

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