Lauren has Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a condition that causes her to pass out multiple times a day, often with little or no notice at all; and Non-Epileptic Attack Disorder (NEAD), which causes frequent seizures. “At its worst, I was passing out 15 times a day, or having five hours of seizures every day, for a week. I wasn’t able to get out of bed, I’d have to wait for someone to get me. I was falling a lot, hitting my head on things.”   

Amazingly, despite only being trained to detect for Lauren’s PoTs, Mabel is able to alert Lauren that she is about to have a seizure as well, giving slightly different alerts for each so Lauren knows the best action to take. “The first time she alerted for a seizure I was in Boots doing some shopping and she sat right at the end of her lead in the middle of the aisle, not wanting to come. I came to, having had a seizure, and just burst into tears, because I knew she alerted to a seizure!”  

With Mabel as a Medical Alert Assistance Dog, Lauren still has these episodes, but when she does, she can make herself safe and reduce the chance of any injuries. Lauren says: “If I’m out and about in town and she alerts me, she tells me ‘don’t cross the road right now, you’re going to have a seizure’ and it means that yes, I still have the seizure but I’m not in the middle of the road having it.”  

Lauren’s journey with MDD started as part of the own dog programme, after it was pointed out that her Labrador Retriever, Scout, was attempting to alert by jumping up at Lauren before she passed out. During a public access training session to a local garden centre, the pair bumped into an MDD socialiser also doing some training with a ‘lovely black dog’ who was getting ready to be placed, which was her first introduction to the charity. Scout sadly passed away a few months later, and so Lauren attended a matching day at the centre. Among the dogs that Lauren met was Mabel – who turned out to be ‘the lovely black dog’ she’d met before… Lauren says: “I cried because I was so happy to see her there – it just seemed so serendipitous.”

Lauren describes Mabel’s alerts as ‘persistent,’ especially at when at home. “She will walk right up to me and start licking my arm, licking my leg, nudging me, and really let me know I need to do something about it.” Mabel will keep alerting for Lauren to act until she takes her glasses off, which signals to Mabel that Lauren is aware, and has listened to her. “Mabel always knows, it’s easier to feel confident going out because I trust that she knows and she will tell me.”  

Mabel has completely transformed Lauren’s life, allowing her to be more independent and confident. With Mabel by her side, Lauren can now do ‘normal’ things, be more independent and do things she really enjoys. She says: “I can explore new things and things I never thought I’d be able to do, or enjoy, even simple things like grocery shopping. But there’s a lot of the little things as well, like just being able to go to the bathroom on my own without having someone stand over me.”

Recently, Lauren met a friend for lunch and was dropped off by her mum and picked up after, did a bit of shopping and sat in a bookshop to do some work without adult supervision. Lauren had never done anything seemingly this simple before.

For Lauren, who has been sick most of her teen and now adult life, this is “just life changing.” Mabel also now goes with Lauren to theatre school, where everyone knows her and she is very popular. She gets lots of cuddles, fuss and tummy scratches during the breaks.

A well as making ‘life more and exciting’ for Lauren, Mabel also takes the stress and anxiety away for her family, who all adore Mabel. She says: “They no longer have to worry that I am going to pass out or have an episode and then have to wait for someone to get me. My parents and my sister aren’t worried I’m going to have an episode and then they’re going to have to try and figure out what to do.”

Mabel has also allowed Lauren and her sister to have a closer relationship. Lauren says: “My sister and I hang out a lot more now because she’s not scared something is going to happen and she is not going to be able to do anything about it.

“Mabel is a great assistance dog. She is really gentle, calm and well behaved when we are out and she’s working, but at home, she is full of personality. Once she doesn’t have that bandana and head collar on, she loves jumping on the sofa for snuggles, jumping in canals, and lets me know if I’ve slept through the breakfast alarm.

“She is also my best friend. She really helps, especially on the very the hard days. Having someone be so happy to see you is wonderful.”