Putting the bark in caregiving

A specially trained canine arrived in Atlantic Beach from the Arizona-based Guide Dogs For Independence on June 30, and he has made the Miller family’s house his home. Hugo, a 17-month-old golden retriever, has been trained to help 15-year-old Oliver Miller, who suffers from seizures as a result of a pre-birth stroke.
Missy Miller, Oliver’s mother, said she began searching “years and years ago” for a dog to help her son. “When Oliver was young, I wanted a dog to assist him with socialization and to help him during seizures,” said Missy — who also helped lead the successful campaign for the legalization of medicinal marijuana in New York. “As I searched, I noticed there were ridiculously long waiting lists. Some places also told me that Oliver was not approved because he couldn’t be the dog handler.
“We had two big problems with so many of these companies,” Missy added. “One was that the child had to be the handler, and two, Oliver would have had to go with the dog for two weeks to train with it. That excluded a lot of options for us.”
In the course of her search, she eventually found GDFI. “They approved me, and I got to be the handler,” Missy said. “People who have seizures emit a certain scent. Their dogs are trained to recognize the scent and identify those people having seizures.”
Hugo cost more than $10,000, including neutering and travel, but he was a worthwhile investment, Missy said. “Dogs like this are good for everything and everyone,” she said. “Oliver’s school — and he goes to school all year round at Lawrence — is very excited about it. It’s a process getting everyone on board, but everyone is willing to help and learn.” Oliver is enrolled in the special-needs program at Lawrence High School.
When Hugo barks an alert, Missy or her son’s nurse, Sandra Sanon, can attend to Oliver more quickly when he has a seizure, injecting him with an anti-seizure drug, keeping him away from potential sources of injury or calling an ambulance.