SPOTSWOOD – A dog can be a great pet or even a “man’s best friend,” but for a borough teenager, it can also turn out to be an emergency responder.
Kaitlin Miller, a 16-year-old junior at Spotswood High School, is getting a new dog, but not for fetching bones or playing games. Instead, the dog will be a constant companion who signals to people if Kaitlin has an epileptic seizure.
Kaitlin was diagnosed with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy about two years ago and has endured numerous seizures, according to her mother, Maggie. There are numerous external stimuli that can trigger an attack, and the triggers are not always avoidable.
The hope is that the dog, set to arrive in November, will alert people around Kaitlin that she is about to have, or has had, a seizure. Maggie noted that sometimes people go unaware that Katy has suffered a seizure.
Last year, Kaitlin had a seizure after school while preparing for a sporting event in the girls’ locker room. No one else was around. Kaitlin fell, hitting her head and suffering a concussion. She remained unconscious for 25 minutes before recovering.
The seizure had no warning signs, Maggie noted, and nothing could have been done to alert someone that Kaitlin needed help.
That’s where the dog comes in.
The K-9 will be receptive to commands from Kaitlin, such as when she feels a seizure coming on. The dog would be trained to pull her to the ground so that she does not fall and hurt herself during the seizure, Maggie said. The dog would also know to get help or bark after pulling Kaitlin to the ground.
“This dog would not be a pet,” she said. “It would be a service dog.”
If Kaitlin gets what is termed an “aura,” a physical warning of an impending seizure, she is able to sit down to avoid a fall. However there are times when she receives no warning, Maggie said, and she has had numerous seizures while at the high school.
“This is why I pushed for the dog,” Maggie said.
The family learned of the dogs via Keppra, an antiepileptic drug. Sponsors give out 70 dogs per year to people in the U.S., and despite what is often a lengthy waiting list for the dogs, Kaitlin was chosen as a recipient.
Sponsors funded the dog’s training, which cost about $50,000. The dogs, which have to weigh more than 40 pounds, include Labrador and golden retrievers. They have to be able to pull the epilepsy victim, if necessary.
Maggie said the family has to undergo training at “dog camp” and learn how to deal with the dog, which is expected to arrive in November. The dog will be used to follow Kaitlin while she is at home, Maggie said, and the family is awaiting word on whether the school district will allow the dog in school.
Superintendent of Schools Jack Krewer informed the Board of Education of the request at its meeting Tuesday, and the school business administrator provided documentation on the matter, board President Alan Bartlett said. He expects that the board will “digest everything we have been given” and discuss the Millers’ request at the board’s next meeting.
Maggie said she has been told that school officials are concerned about whether the dog would be disruptive, bother children with allergies, or potentially harm another student.
She noted that the school has been helpful in dealing with Kaitlin’s issue, and though it has offered alternatives to using the dog, Maggie is convinced the dog is the safest route for her daughter.