Jud, an area service dog, is now home recovering from a successful TPLO surgery from Dr. Jeff Brourman; he was just nominated for a 2015 national hero dog award.

We were delighted to learn that a WestVet patient and local service dog has been nominated for the Fifth Annual American Humane Association Hero Dog awards. Voters select the winner from hero dogs from around the country, read more about the award HERE, and cast your vote for Jud HERE. 

Not long ago, this amazing animal was a patient at our hospital undergoing a TPLO (knee repair surgery) with Dr. Jeff Brourman, WestVet Chief of Staff and Board Certified Small Animal Surgeon. He is now recovering beautifully and his person, Lisa, tells us that he is getting stronger every day. When we asked her about Jud, how he came into her life, and how he provides service to her, this is what she wrote to us:

Jud is an amazing dog. He  has  given  me  so  much  that most  people  take  for granted in life. When a person faces a disability or health obstacle that means you can no longer perform simple day-to-day tasks it can be discouraging. In addition, dealing with seizures and not knowing when an oncoming seizure will happen, has put me into some dangerous situations. Unfortunately, there were times when people around me took advantage of me being incoherent; this led to an increased fear of leaving home at all. 

Then Jud came into my life. When I traveled to North Dakota to pick up Jud from Service Dogs for America, I admit, I was somewhat skeptical. My previous dog had been wonderful but had become ill and was no longer able to perform. I wasn’t sure another dog would be able to serve and help me.

Jud quickly dispelled my doubts. He is a wonderful helper. I suffer from tremors, and even a simple task like turning off lights (painful during a seizure), he quickly sees to. He also opens doors, carries stuff for me, awakens me in the middle of the night when a seizure is imminent with my seizure medication in his mouth. He even goes to the fridge to retrieve water for me to take the medication.

Previously I could fall out of my chair when I was trying to retrieve items that fell. Since Jud came into my life, I have not had to call 911 for help getting off the floor. In other situations, he has hit the alert button when an extreme seizure led to a fall. He has simply proven over and over that he is my furry angel.

While all of these reasons are wonderful, the biggest blessing that Jud brings into my life is when he warns me that a seizure is coming. Before I could suffer from breaks, cuts, or bruises due to falling during or after a seizure. With Jud in my life that has not happened. I am functioning on an independent level again, my fear of leaving home is subsiding, I have more confidence, courage, and ability to join the human race. Simply put, he has given me my life back—something I never thought would happen.

Jud has given me up to two hours of warning before a seizure happens. This enables me to return home and put myself in a safe place. He remains near until the seizure passes, even moving objects out of my way. If he is unable to move the object, he will lay between me and the obstacle to protect me, even if it means he may feel some pain or discomfort.

Jud is my angel on four paws, my knight in fur.

We completely agree! We are voting for Jud to win this national recognition. You may cast a vote every day until the competition closes and we hope others around the Treasure Valley will do so, too. This amazing animal has been a blessing in his person’s life and an inspiration to all of us. We thank Lisa for sharing this beautiful story with us and these pictures. What a beautiful boy!. 

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