Dobie is the best thing that has ever come into my life.

I have had him for the past year, and he's been nothing but a blessing for me.

I have seizures on a regular basis.  I take medication, but it doesn't really seem to be doing me any good.  Dobie acts as my seizure-alert dog: whenever I am about to seize, he lets people know with his loud, warning bark; then someone can help me.

Because of my epilepsy, I can't work.  I am trying to get on disability; have been trying to get on SSDI for the last five years; not making much headway, which is very frustrating.  I live with my mother and father in Ottawa, Ohio.

Dobie is a beautiful creature: sleek, smooth short fur of ebony, with brown on his belly, legs, and face.  He is powerfully muscled, and he is highly intelligent, too.  He is the perfect companion, especially when I am about to go into seizure mode.

He is my helper. 

Because he is a working dog, Dobie wears a yellow and blue vest that signifies that he is a helping dog; when he has that on, he is all business, never leaves my side, eyes trained on me at all times.  When he is out of his vest, he acts like your typical dog.  Whenever people see him, the first instinct is for them to pet him or interact with him; I tell them no because he is on the job, but when he isn't working, then it is okay.

I have seizures at least two to three times a week.  I'm often zoned out afterwards; when I have a seizure, I can't function until I sleep at least six hours or more; the seizures take so much out of me.  The medications don't help; they often leave me cloudy-headed.  It's very frustrating; my doctors are currently trying to find the right combination of meds to help me, but so far, nothing has worked.

Before I had Dobie, I couldn't leave my house.  I mean, what would have happened if I had a seizure when I wasn't at home? Who would help me? Would they know what to do?  In any event, I went to a class about helping dogs, and when Dobie came into my life, it was the best thing.

I consider Dobie to be a gift of God because he's given me a sense of freedom that I couldn't have had prior to owning him.  He is my best buddy, and I love him so much!!