Chihuahua in service

In contrast to the snarling wolf tattooed on her owner's bicep, Sarah, a taciturn Chihuahua who lives with Kollean Gouyton in a small apartment above Front Street, is not known for her ferocity.

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Rather, the tiny dog with oversized ears, bulbous eyes and a brain the size of a Superball is known for her ability to help save lives.

Sarah can predict seizures, according to Gouyton, 26, who has a rare, as-yet-undiagnosed neurological problem that causes her to have sudden painful seizures which, her doctors worry, could lead to a fatal heart attack.

Gouyton also has diabetes and a laundry list of other problems that require more than a dozen medications. Because of her medical problems, she has been unable to work. Gouyton was spending so much time at home by herself last year that she decided to get Sarah as a companion.

Gouyton first noticed Sarah's prediction abilities one day last August, when the then 9-month-old Chihuahua started acting strange.

"She started pawing me, climbing my shoulder and whining," Gouyton said. "I told her to go lie on the couch, and she just wouldn't stop looking at me."

Then Gouyton began to feel ill. Suspecting an oncoming seizure, she took an aspirin to increase her chances of surviving a heart attack, and made it to a recliner before her body began to seize up.

"Sarah just climbed up on me and we both sort of waited it out," Gouyton said.

According to a University of Florida study cited on the National Epilepsy Association Web site, about 5 percent of dogs have a natural ability to "smell" an oncoming seizure. Often the dogs will alert their owners by pawing or whining.

The ability to sense seizures cannot be taught, but certain dogs are naturally predisposed to the talent, the association's site said. All types of dogs can be seizure-response dogs, Gouyton said, from mutts to purebreeds. Sarah, a wheat-colored, show-quality Chihuahua worth about $1,000, came from a breeder in the Lower 48.

During a recent interview with Gouyton, Sarah sat at attention on the carpeted floor of Gouyton's apartment with Gouyton's portly cat Stupid. Stupid, who weighs 22 pounds, tackled Sarah and began roughly grooming the fur on the Chihuahua's back, as if the small dog were an errant kitten. Despite the distraction, Sarah remained unfazed beneath Stupid's fluffy bosom, with her gaze trained patiently on Gouyton.

Part of Sarah's attention to her owner is training, Gouyton said. Since Gouyton discovered the dog's talent, she enlisted the help of her friend, local dog trainer Sonya Smiley, and trained Sarah as a service dog. Service-dog training is used for all types of dogs that aid humans, from rescue dogs to seeing-eye dogs, Gouyton said.

As a service dog, Sarah does not respond to distractions, from badgering cats to quaking elevators to loud machinery. Recently, when Gouyton took her for a stroll downtown, the dog kept in perfect step with her owner, except when she had to dodge the occasional oblivious tourist tennis shoe planted too close to her body.

Federal law allows Gouyton to take Sarah, as a trained service dog, just about everywhere, even shopping at Costco, where she walks next to the cart, and to Gouyton's favorite lunch spots, Taco Time and McDonald's.

"She just sits there under the table; she won't pick up any food off the floor," Gouyton said. "She will only eat food when it is on a plate."

When Sarah is on the job, she sports a Chihuahua-sized red service-dog cape with a patch on it that reads, "Don't pet me, I'm working." Off work, the dog wears a green, rhinestone-studded collar that matches her leash.

Seizure-response dogs can help their owners get to a safe place before a seizure starts. Larger dogs also can sit on or next to a seizing individual, to help minimize injury. For petite Sarah, size and strength are not her strong suits; instead, her life-saving tool comes in the shape of a dainty Chihuahua paw.

When her training is complete, the dog will be able to summon an ambulance, according to Gouyton.

"If I fall down, she will know to knock the phone off the hook," Gouyton said. Then Sarah will press a pre-programmed button on the phone that dials 9-1-1. After that, the dog will repeatedly ring a bell until help arrives. Most service dogs that have been trained to call an ambulance bark into the receiver. But, uncharacteristic for a Chihuahua, Sarah rarely barks.

Sarah is trained to wake Gouyton in case of fire by putting her nose in Gouyton's ear. Gouyton takes medications that can cause her to sleep so soundly that she wouldn't wake up during the alarm. In her off time, the Chihuahua also makes a sport of catching mice, Gouyton said.

"She's caught nine in my apartment alone." Gouyton said.

Despite Sarah's extraordinary talent, Gouyton still sees her primarily as a companion.

"Mostly at home she just stays close to me. It's a comfort thing, for both of us." Gouyton said.

Julia O'Malley can be reached at jomalley@juneauempire.com.