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Thursday, May 24, 2001 Border collies trained to assist seizure victimsBy MIMI PACIFICO DELAND — Border collies are pretty special animals. Just ask Jerri Carter, a woman who has devoted a big part of her life to collies that she trains to become essential companions to some people, to help them do daily chores for their masters, and, sometimes to save human lives. "Border collies are not for everyone," says Carter, director of the Southeast Border Collie Rescue League Inc. "But if one fits your needs and your family lifestyle, you could never find a more faithful, loving companion." The name comes from their ancestral home, the Scottish-English border, where the dogs were trained to work livestock. The breed is a very active, high energy one. Co-dependent and intelligent, Border collies have a need to be assigned tasks as simple as chasing a tennis ball or retrieving a newspaper, or as complex as shepherding sheep or being trained as "Service Dogs" to respond to a person having a seizure. Border collies can even be trained to sense a seizure before it happens, alert the person and get him or her to a safe place. The Southeast Border Collie Rescue League Inc., formed in 1984, is a non-profit organization in DeLand made up of all volunteers. Carter, the league's founder and president, serves also as a registered breeder, an adoption coordinator, trainer and solicitor of foster home care. The rescue league is an independent rescue group that operates southeastern United States, especially Florida. The league's focus is to prevent reckless breeding, to teach the importance of spaying and neutering, to teach breeders and owners to take responsibility for their pets and to aid in the rescue effort. Since its inception in 1984, the league has rescued and placed more than 370 dogs. Carter's most recent endeavor is the Classic Service Dog Network. In answer to her own needs -- she is dependent on a wheelchair because of acute osteoarthritis -- Carter has begun to train Border collies as service dogs to those with such disabilities such as fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, multiple sclerosis, seizure disorders and hearing problems. Carter's own service dog, Jennie, is able to pick up anything she can carry in her mouth and bring it to her mistress. She can even take a telephone in her mouth and carry it from one person to another. A seizure response/alert dog is taught to respond to the person in distress. He senses when the seizure is coming, and with proper training, can alert his master to seek a safe place. When a person is having a seizure, the dog lies down next to him, giving comfort, senses when he is beginning to revive and licks him to help him reconnect as the crisis passes. This sense is inherent in the breed and the dog knows to stay near the person in need. Carter has placed several seizure response/alert service dogs and has two people on the waiting list. Pokemon, or "Pokey," is a seizure alert dog Carter recently placed with a woman from Tallahassee, and before the woman left West Volusia, the dog displayed his true colors. At the motel, Pokey's new mistress, Tina Simmons, wanted to take him for a walk, but he was reluctant. Simmons was puzzled over his strange behavior, and as she approached the stairway to go outside, Pokey simply refused to go. He dragged her back to the room, led her to the bed, pushed her down onto it and gently jumped on top of her. Within minutes, she had a seizure. The first thing she remembered when she revived was that Pokey was there, licking her. "If I was unsure before about whether or not this was a good thing, I don't wonder any more," said Jeannette Foskey, Simmons' mother. "I am so glad my daughter has Pokey to help take care of her as I'm getting older and have health problems of my own." Simmons was excited about her steadfast companion. "I can't believe how fast we bonded," she said. "When I first saw him, he passed by everyone else in the room and came right to me. It was as if he had known me all my life. He's going to help keep me from bumping my head so much." Dogs brought to Carter's rescue league have sometimes been abused or mistreated, or are in need of medical attention. Sometimes it's a stray that someone found, or a dog that someone couldn't care for. One dog had been injured when it was caught in an animal trap and required three major surgeries. While Carter cares for as many dogs as she can at her kennel, she said she is constantly in need of families to serve as foster care homes until a good permanent home is found. Deltona Animal Medical Center works closely with Carter in her efforts to meet the medical needs of rescued Border collies. Some of the animals test heartworm positive, a costly condition to correct. Carter offers classes of all sorts in training people in the community. These include obedience, agility, show, tracking, search and rescue. Ten years ago, Warren and Barbara Graham of DeBary brought their dog, Dreyfus, a St. Bernard, to Carter's obedience training sessions in the parking lot at Kmart in Orange City. Several months ago they found themselves in need of her services again. On their daily walks they noticed a dog they recognized as a Border collie walking aimlessly through the neighborhood. They provided immediate foster care, got the dog the medical treatment necessary and contacted the rescue league. After placing the dog, Babe, with the league, the Grahams realized they missed her and called to see if she were still available for adoption. "Babe had left paw prints on our hearts forever," said Barbara Graham. Warren Graham has become one of the league's faithful volunteers and helps Carter with repair work. |
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