Begin at the beginning

I am epileptic. What is epilepsy? Basically its a broad term name/diagnoses for an electrical problem in the brain that causes seizures unrelated to other conditions such as low blood sugar or alcohol. I also have tried every medicine they have on the market for my particular types of seizures *Petit mals* I have a high sensitivity to medications and that causes problems with side effects. After a slew of neurologists with accents so thick I need a translator each appointment, pill pushers, and being overdosed on anti-seizure meds, alternative therapies sounded really good and one thing stood out in my mind.

When I was 15 I saw a dog on tv that worked with a person who had epilepsy. How cool was that. I remember sitting on the stairs waiting for my dad to come home so I could tell him. Despite my excitement and telling him all the things the dog could do all he heard was "I want a pet dog that you'll have to pay for and clean up after." So I waited.

When college was not working out well, mostly due to medical withdrawals I decided to start looking into one. As soon as I sat down to fill out the applications I discovered my greatest opposition. A Dr. had to say this was a good idea. If you have ever been to a neurologist, you will know that 9 times out of 10, they want to give you a drug and see how it goes.

Being stubborn and uneducated in the matter I thought I could do it myself. Yeah, picking a dog out of tons of possibilities is not that easy. I finally opted for a Collie that was on the list to be put down. She seemed outgoing enough and I had memories of Lassie in my head. Good breed right? Yeah no. I am happy to say Hailey Bell now lives a wonderful life with my sister-in-laws parents.

Long story short I have had ups and downs, dogs that don't work, and a misunderstanding family that can not make the distinction between service animal and pet. Now here I am at 27 and finally have my dog. Chance. Okay he has some work to do, but being only 4 months lets give him a little break, yeah? So the goal of this blog? Over the next year I hope to document Chance's training , both ups and downs, and offer those who may be looking for an alternative other than a 5 year waiting minimum and dropping between $3,000-$5,000 dollars in one shot. I'd like to eventually train others to take their chance and train the dogs themselves, but we have to begin at the beginning. By the way...this is Chance.

Wish us luck.
Sara & Chance