Vanessa Mabie, 15, was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) roughly three years ago. With her condition, she suffers from focal aware seizures – where a person stays fully conscious and aware – tremors and more.

“If I’m in the lights or super noisy places, I’ll have an episode. Annie has definitely helped a lot with that, just to keep me focused on one thing so it’s not so overwhelming.””

Annie, Vanessa’s two-year-old golden retriever, lights up every room she enters with her goofiness and spunk. While she provides emotional support, she is extremely smart.

“We just got her for a family dog, but she started alerting of seizures long before we were doing trainings. We have to polish (her skills) and get her certified,” said Vanessa.

The Mabie family is currently in need of support as Vanessa Mabie, left, receives medical treatment and testing for her seizure condition, functional neurological disorder (FND). Annie (right), Mabie's golden retriever, is being trained to become her service dog at Canine Connection Training in Escanaba. (Courtesy photo)

While Vanessa has experienced symptoms since infancy, her condition worsened after a bout of illness.

“Sickness can provoke it and make it worse, so that’s when it got really, really bad,” said Vanessa. “It’s not just the seizures. My legs will go numb, I get super fatigued, full body tremors – it’s super painful.”

Annie’s ability to detect Vanessa’s seizures and manage her condition emerged early.

Once Annie began exhibiting these skills, Vanessa’s mother, Lisa Mabie, reached out to Dave Johnson, lead trainer and owner of Canine Connection Training in Escanaba.

Just two months into training, Annie was already pulling Lisa toward Vanessa before or during an episode. Johnson explained that Annie’s skills wouldn’t be possible without her unbreakable bond to Vanessa.

“I can’t just take any dog and say ‘Okay, you’re going to be a service dog.’ You have to have a strong, strong bond,” said Johnson.

Johnson has been working to refine Annie’s abilities, even without yet receiving the full funding for her training.

“Training already started,” said Johnson. “It isn’t the goal to have (Vanessa) sit there and wait for her dog to be trained. She needs it now, and I told them from the first time they walked in here that I’m 100% committed and I’m going to stay that way.”

Part of Annie’s training consists of challenges and rewards, like being tasked with finding Vanessa in a tunnel and being rewarded when she overcomes obstacles to reach Vanessa. Because Vanessa’s episodes can occur anywhere, it is important for Annie to retain this skill.

The retriever can also find Vanessa’s phone in an emergency. Annie will even grab Lisa’s arm and lead her to Vanessa before or during seizures.

Vanessa and Lisa meet with Johnson twice a week to train Annie, and they even have a key to his facility so they can continue practicing on their own. At home, they keep refining Annie’s skills, ensuring she stays sharp and responsive.

While Johnson’s generosity provides crucial support, the costs of Vanessa’s medical care and Annie’s ongoing training at Canine Connection Training remain high. The family is seeking help from the community to cover these expenses. Contributions from local organizations and residents will ensure that Annie can continue providing the life-changing support Vanessa relies on every day.

At home, when Annie is not wearing her service vest, she is described as a “totally regular dog.” But she is always in tune with Vanessa, often signaling her seizures long before they occur.

“(Annie) was asleep on the couch, and I called her to post – that’s where she goes in between my legs when they start to go numb. She laid down, which I thought was weird, but then my legs gave out. She broke my fall so I didn’t hit my head, and she wasn’t in vest, so I was super impressed,” said Vanessa.

Annie then laid her head against Vanessa as she prepared to get up, allowing her to push off for support.

“When Vanessa is having an episode or doesn’t realize she is or is about to, the dog is already starting to escort her to the ground,” noted Johnson. “You don’t want her standing up during these (episodes). She’s been concussed way too many times.”

Vanessa recalled a time when Annie signaled to a future episode, possibly saving her life.

“We were at the beach one day. We went swimming the day before. She loves the water – she’s a golden. The next day, we went back and she would not let me in the water,” said Vanessa.

Annie kept pulling Vanessa’s arm and even her bathing suit to prevent her from going into the water.

“She kept aggressively barking at me, but anytime I was on the sand, she was fine. I had to be sitting. I could not go near the water. Then, I had an episode later that day.”

Annie can also detect physiological changes, such as Vanessa’s elevated heart rate or shallow breathing, highlighting the remarkable abilities of dogs, as Johnson emphasized.

“The dog is more in-tuned to us than we realize. They’re picking up on whether it’s an odor (Vanessa) is giving off or hearing her heart beats changing. That’s why that strong bond has got to be there.”

Living with FND means daily life can be unpredictable for Vanessa. While she attended public school during the first two years of experiencing severe symptoms, she now completes her education online, hoping she can eventually tolerate fluorescent lights after more therapy.

“I definitely get symptoms every day. Seizures vary on triggers and stuff like that. I get them a few times a week, I’d say,” said Vanessa.

To combat the symptoms and manage her condition, Vanessa completes occupational, physical and cognitive therapy as a way to slowly expose her to lights and sound.

Recently, Vanessa and Lisa traveled to the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital for testing, with Johnson accompanying them to train Annie in a medical environment.

“They had her in the lights for almost nine hours so that they could see the episodes, and she actually had a tremor for an hour and a half. It wouldn’t stop,” recalled Lisa.

As Vanessa underwent tests at the facility with the doors closed, particularly breathing tests where her heart rate changed, she could hear Annie wining outside. Once the tests were done and the doors opened, Annie jumped onto the bed with her.

“(Annie) knew that I wasn’t feeling great, but she didn’t get in the way of testing, either, which was super helpful,” remarked Vanessa.

Lisa has been unable to work since Vanessa began experiencing more frequent seizures last January, but she hopes to return in the near future now that Annie can bring the family some peace of mind.

“A lot of people in this area have just been so amazing with this,” said Lisa, noting the community’s generosity and support.

Lisa and Vanessa visit the Wells Lions Club every few weeks to talk about Vanessa’s journey and demonstrate her bond with Annie. The Wells Lions Club, along with several other local Lions Clubs and businesses, plan to donate funds to support Vanessa’s care and Annie’s training.

“You’ve got a 15-year-old girl who doesn’t have a life, and it’s not fair,” said Johnson. “That’s the whole purpose of the dog, to let her have a life again and get it back. That’s why you don’t sit there and wait for money. Screw that. She needs help and she needs it now.”

To assist the Mabie family, an interested party may contact Lisa Mabie at lisarmabie@gmail.com, call Lisa at 906-399-0744 or donate funds to Lisa’s Venmo @Lisa-Mabie-4.

Funds may also be deposited into the Upper Peninsula State Bank account for Mabie’s Dog Fundraiser, which has a routing number of 091101138 and checking number 51124787. Donors may alternatively mail checks to Upper Peninsula State Bank, 430 N. Lincoln Rd. in Escanaba, in the name of Lisa and Jacob Mabie.