My Guide Dog Umbro

[Crystal11]

Hello everyone-
I thought I would share some about my guide dog Umbro. He is a yellow/white lab male about 66 pounds, 6 years old and he is my guardian as I like to say. Today he was acting kinda strange around me. Kinda in my personal space, would not leave me be, and really wanted to stay close. Now, guide dogs/seeing eye dogs are taught to stay close by, but if you command them to lay down in their place, then they will and won't get up until you call for them. Anyways, Umbro kept this up for a while and I think he knew I wasn't feeling totally well today. I woke up to a sinus infection too.
I was sitting on the floor in front of the TV and Umbro comes up and nibbles at my hearing aid! Its a $2000 brand new hearing aid and he wants to nibble at it. He was smelling the left side of my head a lot. I don't know if this means anything at all or just something he did randomly. Later this evening I had a seizure (complex partial) and he lay next to me on my bed just like a human with his head on the pillow and just waiting with me. I didnt know he was with me until I became more aware. My caring guide dog- is always with me and is so caring and loving during my seizures especially.
Well he is loving all the time no matter what- but his behavior changes before a seizure. He was trained in seizure work at the guide dog school I got him from.
Anyways- my little boy made me feel so happy because he was there when I woke up and was like "Mommy? You awake? You okay now? ... Do you want to play now?" LOL hehehehehehe

Take care, good night everyone
Crystal and her guide, Umbro

 

[Meetz1064]

awwwwwww

how very sweet!!! Aren't animals great?? Perhaps the sniffing at your hearing aids was him indicating which area the seizure was going to come from????

 

[Nakamova]

That's so very cool Crystal. Animals can do amazing things, and just being around a pet is good for the heart. I read about one dog that called 911 when his owner had a seizure. (The dog was trained to push a pre-programmed button).

 

[Rae1889]

AW! My kitty does the same thing, although he doesnt leave me alone when I tell him. he does know how to high five, and seems to know when I'm going to have a seizure, because he'll be all over me keeping me awake.

I woke up on the floor once from a tonic clonic to Monk pawing lightly at my face and licking my nose to wake me up. the whole "wake up mum! you okay?" so cute!

 

[Cint]

Awww, nice.

Maybe I should re-consider and find myself a pet, now that I live by myself.

 

[Crystal11]

Umbro never stays too far away from me but he makes me feel better after a seizure. Sometimes I cannot talk right way and I just pet him, sometimes I don't remember petting him.

Meetz- I believe my seizures are coming from the left side because I am effected on the right- I feel weakness in my right side afterwards. I don't know if any muscles are tensed up or what.

I love my Umbro and I probably will not get another guide dog after him. I plan on keeping him when he is ready to retire from guide work. I'm sure he will still do seizure work his whole life.

Rae- thats cool about your cat being able to high-five LOL.

Take care everyone
Crystal