Latest news with #FriendsofCampbellCountyAnimalControl
08-07-2025
- Health
Shelter dog credited with recognizing man's seizure gets adopted
A 4-year-old shelter dog credited with recognizing a man's seizures has been adopted, finding a forever home with Shannon Sweeney and her family. Sweeney adopted Sienna, a Lab and pit bull mix, into her home, where her oldest son also happens to have epilepsy, a condition marked by seizures. "She is extremely laid back, and she's very, very affectionate," Sweeney said of Sienna. "When she leans in, you feel all 60-some pounds on her." Sienna's journey from shelter animal to hero began at a June adoption event in Virginia, where Jackie Poppe, a volunteer at Friends of Campbell County Animal Control in Rustburg, was walking her around. According to Poppe, Sienna came to the rescue of 46-year-old Josh Davis, who was having a medical emergency, before anyone else noticed something was wrong. "She spotted this very tall man, and she made a beeline for him," Poppe said. Davis recalls the moment when Sienna came up to him. "She got all excited and she put her paw on my chest and everything," said Davis. "And I was like, 'Whoa.' I was like, 'What's going on?'" "She would not budge," Poppe added. "I mean, even when I pulled on her leash." Davis' wife Kristen said it wasn't until Sienna came up to her husband that she realized he was experiencing a series of small seizures, just noticeable in his eyes. Josh Davis, who has epilepsy, had forgotten to take his medication that morning, and it seemed Sienna knew it before anyone else did. "It looked like something you'd see in the movies," said Kristen Davis. "She kept putting her paw up on his leg, and like, 'Hey, are you paying attention to me? I'm trying to talk to you.' We were all kind of standing around, like, 'Did that just happen?'" Sienna first arrived at Friends of Campbell County Animal Control, a volunteer-run shelter, as a stray and likely wasn't trained in detecting seizures. However, studies have found that both trained and untrained dogs may be able to detect seizures, although more research is needed. The Davises said they would have loved to take Sienna home but they already had three rescue animals. Nevertheless, Sienna made a mark on the family. "It was just kind of a wake-up call, basically," Josh Davis said. 'Now, I'm more focused on making sure I take my medications, making sure I get enough rest." Friends of Campbell County Animal Control shared Sienna's story on Facebook, writing, "This is the kind of magic that shelter dogs carry inside them … Sienna wasn't trained to do this. She simply felt it." Her story prompted an outpouring of adoption applications before the Sweeney family, who had applied to adopt Sienna before she became the dog of the hour, was selected. Poppe said Sienna's story goes to show that rescue dogs shouldn't be underestimated. "Don't overlook the stray dog that's in your local shelter," said Poppe. "All of them have amazing traits about them."
NBC News
27-06-2025
- General
- NBC News
Rescue dog senses stranger's oncoming seizure at pet adoption event
A routine pet adoption event at a Virginia church took an extraordinary turn when one of the foster dogs reacted to an oncoming medical crisis in a stranger — and in doing so, rescued him. Sienna, a 4-year-old labradoodle-pit bull mix and one of the shelter's 'sweetest dogs,' was found as a stray in a neighboring town, said Barbe Shackelford, vice president and director of Friends of Campbell County Animal Control in Rustburg. Sienna was among the dozens of pets looking for a forever home at the adoption event earlier this month. She was calmly greeting attendees when, according to the shelter, she abruptly broke away from a group and walked straight to a man she never met before. 'She sat quietly at his feet, refused to budge, and softly placed her paw on his leg,' the shelter wrote in a Facebook post detailing the event. 'It wasn't a trick. It wasn't prompted. It was pure intuition.' Moments later, the man's wife approached and recognized he was having early warning signs of an oncoming myoclonic seizure. 'Sienna knew. Before any human saw the signs, she knew,' the shelter wrote. The man, identified as Josh Davis, told The Washington Post he has epilepsy and had forgotten to take his medication that morning. Thanks to Sienna's intervention, his wife quickly helped him return home, where he was able to rest and recover. 'If he hadn't calmed down and went home to rest, even with the [ vagus nerve stimulator ], he was very likely to have a full-on convulsion seizure,' Kristen told the Post. Neither the shelter nor its volunteers trained Sienna to detect seizures — her actions were purely instinctive. Shackleford told NBC that Sienna has been house-trained and has raised litters but, otherwise, has no formal service dog training. 'We've always known Sienna is special. But today, she reminded us that sometimes the ones we rescue are the ones who end up rescuing,' the shelter wrote. Kristen David, Josh Davis' wife, commented on the shelter's Facebook post that while the family would have loved to adopt Sienna, they already have three other dogs and lacked the room and resources to house another pup. However, Sienna wouldn't be homeless for long. As her story went viral, adoption requests poured in to the shelter. Sienna was eventually adopted by a Roanoke family who has two sons, including one with epilepsy. Shackelford said Sienna has 'chosen her special person and has not left his side.'
Toronto Sun
26-06-2025
- General
- Toronto Sun
At adoption event, shelter dog alerts man he's about to have seizure
Staff at the shelter said Sienna has no known training in seizure detection Published Jun 26, 2025 • Last updated 4 minutes ago • 4 minute read Sienna, a 3-year-old lab and pit bull mix, alerted a man that he was about to have a seizure at an adoption event on June 7. Photo by Friends of Campbell County Animal Control Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. At a recent adoption event, Sienna – a 3-year-old lab and pit bull mix – made a beeline for a man she'd never met and gently placed her paw on his leg. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account 'She saw him, and she started pulling on the leash very hard, which is not normal for her,' said Jackie Poppe, a volunteer with Friends of Campbell County Animal Control in Rustburg, Virginia. The adoption event was held at a church yard sale, and there were several booths with different vendors. Sienna, who needed a permanent home, was going from booth to booth greeting attendees – until she locked eyes with one man and headed directly for him. Poppe tried to pull Sienna away, but she would not leave the man's side. That is when the man's wife – who had been shopping nearby – turned around and noticed something was wrong. Staff at the shelter said Sienna has no known training in seizure detection. Photo by Friends of Campbell County Animal Control 'He looked like he was definitely going to have a seizure,' Kristen Davis said about her husband, Josh Davis, who has epilepsy. She said he appeared unwell and looked off-balance, the telltale signs a seizure could be imminent. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. That day, June 7, Josh was also showing signs of a myoclonic seizure – his eyes were fluttering and jerking, his wife said. He had forgotten to take his morning meds. Josh, 46, stands 6-foot-9, his wife noted. 'He is a big guy, so we didn't want him to fall in front of all those people,' Kristen said, adding that they live around the corner, and that she brought her husband straight home to lie down and take his meds. He managed to avoid a full seizure – which Kristen believes was because her husband relaxed, and his self-administering vagus nerve stimulator probably delivered a stimulation burst. Josh has a vagus nerve stimulator – a device meant to help control seizures – implanted in his chest, though it doesn't always stop them. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Kristen Davis, left, with her husband, Josh Davis, and their 14-year-old daughter, Hannah Davis. Photo by Courtesy of Kristen Davis 'If he hadn't calmed down and went home to rest, even with the VNS, he was very likely to have a full-on convulsion seizure,' Kristen said. Sienna was rescued as a stray on the streets of Altavista, Virginia, Poppe said, with no known training in seizure detection. Scientific studies have found both trained and untrained pet dogs can detect seizures, mainly using their sense of smell. Some canines can detect certain compounds in a person's sweat during or before an epileptic seizure. 'We all knew she was lovable, and she was cute and amazing in the shelter, but we did not know that she had this ability,' Poppe said. Kristen credits Sienna with preventing her husband from having a full seizure that day. 'She was honed into him, just the way she went straight to him and ignored some other people on the way,' Kristen said. 'It seemed to me like what you see in the movies, when a dog alerts people.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She said she couldn't believe how fixated Sienna was on her husband. 'When he moved over a few steps, she did, too,' Kristen said. 'She put her paw on his leg again.' Sienna wouldn't leave Josh Davis's side. Photo by Friends of Campbell County Animal Control Josh was equally struck by the dog's intuition. 'I was really surprised that Sienna came to me, and it made me take my health more seriously that day,' Josh said. 'I would have took her home right then and there if Kristen had agreed.' Kristen said they have three rescue and don't have the bandwidth to bring home another. 'I have my own health issues, and we just can't take that on,' she said. After the shelter shared a Facebook post about how Sienna detected Josh's seizure, adoption requests flooded in. 'We've always known Sienna is special. But today, she reminded us that sometimes the ones we rescue are the ones who end up rescuing,' the post said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Several people with epileptic family members applied to adopt Sienna, but they all had a problem in common: They also had cats, and Sienna doesn't get along well with them. 'Cats would not have been a good fit for her,' Poppe said. Greg Sweeney picking up Sienna from the shelter on June 13. Photo by Friends of Campbell County Animal Control One application stood out. Shannon Sweeney had applied to adopt Sienna before she even saw the post about the seizure detection. She said she was drawn to Sienna because she looked like her late dog, Johnwood, who died last month at 11 years old. But after reading about Sienna's instincts, 'it made us want her even more,' Shannon said. Her son Ransom, 28, has epilepsy – though he has not had a seizure in several years. 'The timing has been unbelievable,' said Shannon, adding that her other son, Ethan, 24, was grieving after losing his pet rabbit that week and that he had taken Johnwood's death especially hard. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The companionship for him is such a big deal,' said Shannon, who lives in Roanoke. Ransom Sweeney, who is epileptic, with Sienna. Photo by Shannon Sweeney Shannon and her husband picked up Sienna on June 13, and 'she is settling in really, really well,' Shannon said. 'We're soaking it all up right now.' Since arriving, Sienna has not left Ethan's side. 'The bunny went everywhere with him, and now Sienna, not as conveniently bunny-sized, goes everywhere with him,' Shannon said. 'Sienna is filling holes in our hearts.' For more health news and content around diseases, conditions, wellness, healthy living, drugs, treatments and more, head to – a member of the Postmedia Network. 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