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A little dog masters a big responsibility
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Diana Sassman holds her 8-year-old Yorkshire terrier, Jack, in her apartment at Churchill Woods on Thursday. Jack is able to alert Sassman and others when she is having a seizure. He hasn't had any formal training. When Sassman goes places, like Baumgartners, everyone knows Jack. "He's got a personality," Sassman said. To order either of these photos, click here. (Times photo: Marissa Weiher)
MONROE - A Monroe woman who suffers from regular seizures uses a unique alarm system to alert people if she becomes incapacitated. If Diana Sassman collapses and injures herself, her personal alarm system - one that has four legs, a tail and a fur coat - will bark as loudly as it can. Sassman's Yorkshire terrier, Jack - who was named after "Jack Straw," a song by the Grateful Dead - is a service dog registered by the United Service Animal Registry to assist his owner with her seizures.