For Dallas LaPointe, having seizures is a part of her life. But with a new friend that she received from Long County, the seizures may be a little less dangerous.

On Dec. 15, LaPointe picked up her new friend at the Puppies-R-Us pet shop in Hinesville. But this friend wasn’t from the store. Instead, it was from the Long County Animal Control Center. This new friend was a 2-year-old Doberman pinscher that had been picked up as a stray in Long County.

“We’ve had this dog for about two and a half months out at the center, and we’ve been trying to find him a good home,” Long County Commissioner Bobby Walker said.

LaPointe previously had visited the Puppies-R-Us shop, looking for a dog that could be trained to help her with her seizures. 

While she was at the shop, co-owner Cathy Ray said she knew of a perfect animal for her, but it wasn’t at her shop — it was at the center. 

From there, Ray contacted Walker and made arrangements for the Fort Stewart soldier’s wife to meet the Doberman that everyone at the center called Dobie.

“I’ve wanted to get a dog for two years, and Dobie is perfect,” LaPointe said. “I am going to send him off to be trained to help me.”

LaPointe said she and her husband, Chris Shuman, are making plans to have Dobie trained at Canine Assistants, which is a nonprofit organization that trains service dogs for people with disabilities or special needs. When the dog completes the training, it will be able to help the woman in many ways.

“If I have a seizure, he will try to hold me up and bark to find someone to help me,” LaPointe said. “He also will move me if I am in an unsafe place when I have the seizure.”

Walker said it was good to see the Doberman find a good home after being picked up as a stray.

“We try to find a home for all of the strays that get picked up and try to get them all adopted out,” Walker said.

He said the total cost to adopt a dog is about $100, which includes getting the animal spayed or neutered.

For more information on the Canine Assistants program, go to www.canineassistants.org. For more information on adopting a dog or to report a stray, call the Long County Animal Control Center at 545-2287.