We often refer to our wonderful assistance dogs as ‘life-transforming’ but for Ann Watson her three epilepsy seizure alert dogs have been literally life-saving.

Prior to getting an assistance dog, Ann, now 60, had numerous seizures every day.

She often fell down the stairs or fell and banged her head on the radiator, and on one occasion when crossing the road to catch a bus she had a seizure and collapsed in the middle of the road, causing a multi-car pile-up. From that day on she was terrified of leaving the house alone.

Life is now very different and Ann says she owes her life to her three seizure alert dogs provided and trained by Support Dogs over the past 20-odd year. First Shadow, a border collie originally from a rescue centre, Victor a black Labrador stray taken in by council dog wardens before being passed on to  the charity, and now Barney, another black Labrador.

Says Ann: “I would not be here without Shadow – he saved me many times from falling down the stairs. Since I’ve had my three dogs I have never been hurt or had an injury.

That’s why Support Dogs mean so much to me. They actually have saved my life. I don’t know what I’d be without them.”

Ann fell and banged her head while out playing at the age of seven, and went on to develop severe epilepsy. As she grew up her problems got worse and she struggled to stay in employment. She kept it secret form her husband Peter when she first met him, but soon had to explain to him what was wrong with her.

It was her husband who saw a TV programmer about Support Dogs and suggested applying for a seizure alert dog. The result was a long and successful partnership with Shadow as the numbers of seizures reduced and her nerves and stress levels became manageable.

Shadow was eventually replaced by Victor. “I doted on Victor, partly because he alerted me to a seizure on day one – he was the only dog to do that,” says Ann.

She  and Peter moved down to South Yorkshire from Scotland to be closer to Support Dogs’ training centre in Sheffield, and again Ann and her second dog enjoyed a long and happy relationship. Victor retired aged ten last year and now lives with senior Support Dogs instructor Tracey, who adores him.

And so on to Barney. “I missed Victor very much but again, Barney is completely different,” explains Ann. “He is like no other dog I have known and give gives me a 21 minute alert of an oncoming seizure. I can get out and about, jump on the bus and go into town; I’m not worried about going out on my own with Barney. He has never been wrong.”

Ann still gets anxious and has panic attacks when she’s with large numbers of people, but is reassured that for the next eight or nine years she and Barney will be an effective partnership. “It’s not just the alert itself; it’s the emotional confidence knowing that you are going to be alerted that makes the difference, she says. “It’s hard to describe the feeling that having one of these dogs gives you.

“If it wasn’t for Support Dogs I would be house-bound. They area great charity and I love them. And Barney is my life and I am his.”

How do dogs sense an oncoming seizure?  

One of the questions we’re often asked at Support Dogs is how our seizure alert dogs can detect an oncoming epileptic fit – is a different smell or a change in behaviour in their owner that they pick up on?

There is no simple answer to what is a complex issue. Rita Howson, chief executive of Support Dogs explains: “Dogs are very good observers of humans. Dogs know what is going to happen when you pick up their leash; their behaviour indicates this. Their behaviour can also change when they pick up on more subtle cues – maybe a smell or behavioural change in the client that occurs before an oncoming seizure.

“Essentially, by careful observation, which might require hours of videotaping, we can hone in on what that change is, reinforce it, and teach the client to recognise it. It takes time and needs follow up, but it is entirely possible to achieve up to a 50-minute warning with many dogs.”

Support Dogs is now working with researchers at Gent University to improve scientific understanding of the changes that our dogs are responding to, which will lead to a much greater understanding of the condition and our ability to help to improve the lives of those affected by epilepsy.