---Daniel's POV---

"Down." The command was made with a simple gesture, one that the Malinois shepherd eagerly followed.

I nearly had to fight my laughter, ticking off another box on the dog's file. Making sure to note that the dog was in fact not wild and untrainable.

Untrainable my ass. This poor dog was more than eager to please and more than willing to train, to learn new stuff and keeping its magnificent mind going.

It had been bored out of its mind in the hands of its former owner. Why was it that the dog owners who wanted to put the least amount of effort in their dogs, got themselves a dog that required a hefty amount of training and daily effort?

I shook my head, watching as the dog eagerly followed every command I gave it. An eagerness to serve in its eyes, to finally, finally work its brain like it craved all this time.

To be fair, I wouldn't be surprised if Jimmy would add this particular dog to his team. They were known to be a good police dog breed and with the attentiveness it was already giving me, I was sure it would pass its future tests with flying colors.

All we needed to do, was test the dog's supposed aggression towards other dogs.

"Bruce. Come here boy." I coed with a pat to my thigh, keeping the unnamed Malinois on his leash. Its nostrils flared, ears perking up before leaning into its collar.

But not with aggression, but interest. I wouldn't be too surprised that, if I were to pull back and deny him a chance to meet with Bruce, it would start to bark its head off out of pure excitement.

Excitement that could easily be mistaken for aggression. However if you knew what to look for, like the dog's relaxed posture and eager swishing from his tail, you could deduct at least some information.

I knew that truly aggressive dogs could bite with little to no warning. Had seen it happen in the past as well, where the dog seemed to snap with no reason and attack the other dog.

Most dog aggression cases were a case by case investigation. Motioning Bruce closer and relaxing the lead, I watched with a soft smile as the Malinois eagerly dipped down into a play bow, inviting Bruce to play.

I stayed in the room to observe their behavior, dropping the leash to allow the dogs some freedom. The Malinois tail did lift up to attempt to show dominance, but Bruce didn't react to the gesture and simply allowed the other dog to sniff him in greeting.

"First introduction to a dog is a success." I murmured, circling the positive response on the paper. Knowing that I'd need to introduce the Malinois to multiple other dogs to get a fair reading of him.

After all, he could be just fine with medium to large dogs, but treat smaller dogs like prey. Especially given the Malinois' high prey drive and high energy, I would be rather hesitant to introduce this dog to prey animals like rabbits or even cats.

With each dog I trained, each dog that I saved from being put down, I lost more and more faith in humanity.

How could people buy a puppy or a kitten and then toss it out without a care? How could they see this valuable member of their family as a replaceable commodity?

I sighed, knowing I'd never be able to wrap my mind around it anyways. Life was and would always be a valuable gift to me.

After completing the rest of the test, I made sure to properly exercise the dog and allow it to run around in the fenced yard along with Bruce.

Nobody wanted to adopt a dog if they were barking mad, bouncing off the walls with energy. However, if they could see a calmer, obedient dog, they would be happy to do so.

The rest of my training sessions were relatively easy, though a mild headache was starting to creep up on me. A nudge against my thigh made me smile and reach down to pat Bruce on the head, knowing it was a seizure alert.

However, it wasn't Bruce's short fur that I patted but the soft fur of the Labrador, nudging me insistently with its nose. Whining and whimpering, pawing at my legs as it circled me anxiously.

A sharp bark announced its unease, something the dog hadn't done until now.

Beside it, Bruce was also nudging me, making me realize that both of them were giving me a warning I should heed.

So I pressed the hotkey on my pager, alerting Colton that I was going to have a seizure and managed to lay down after securing the anxious Labrador in its pen.

When I came to, Colton was sitting beside me and offered me a soft smile. "Are you back?" He murmured softly, brushing a gentle hand through my hair.

"Uh-huh." I nuzzled against Bruce before yawning, patting him on his back. "I'm back. Thanks buddy."

Colton helped me upright, observing me for any reactions before I remembered what happened before.

Pointing at the kennels further down the hallway, I stated, "One of the dogs was able to sense by seizure ahead of time."

I didn't need to add anything else. Both of us knew what that meant, what we needed to do.

There was a big difference between Seizure alert dogs and Seizure response dogs. After all, you couldn't teach dogs to sense incoming seizures after all.

Seizure response dogs would help their handler during and after a seizure. They'd find someone to help their handler and would stay close as a source of comfort. Something they were taught to do.

But they could never be taught to sense the seizures and alert their handler ahead of time. Sure, perhaps they could see a change of behavior in their handlers and react accordingly.

But dogs that genuinely sensed the medical emergency before it happened, were rather rare. Which was why it was a blessing for that dog in the kennel, unaware that its future had changed.

If it made it through the screening, that dog had the potential to become a seizure alert dog. And thus have a comfortable, happy life while at the same time, helping their human counterpart.

Two lives saved in one strike.

It might be stupid to hold out hope, especially given that this wasn't a puppy but an adult dog. But still, who would willingly toss aside such an opportunity?

I smiled tiredly at Colton, who shook his head before helping me upright. "I'll make sure that Jackson knows, he'll be able to send inquiries to the right people."

A grin slid on my face, feeling momentarily lightheaded before I sighed and brushed my hair out of my face.

"How was your day, sweetie?" Colton asked, leaning in to give me a languid kiss and snickered as I flushed bright pink.

"It was okay, managed to check most of the dogs." I revealed the clipboard with my findings and smiled happily as Colton gave it a quick scan.

Already my basic training was proving to be useful, making me extremely proud that I was helping others, no matter how small or meaningless it may seem.

"It's been a while since your last seizure." Colton noted curiously as I stretched out and sighed before nodding. "Last one was at the courthouse, I think?"

"Which means, the surgery and meds are working like a charm." I hummed, subconsciously reaching for the scars underneath my hair.

Though I'd never be grateful for what those bastards put me through, I could at least appreciate the benefits of the surgery that was required to save my life.

Then again, I'm quite certain that Colton would've done whatever it took to help me overcome my random seizures.

Nowadays Bruce had less and less to do, only needing to alert on rare occasions. But honestly, I was glad that he could finally be just a dog instead of being constantly on guard.

Plus, there was also what doctors had called the 'Honeymoon' period. A time where seizure medication worked flawlessly, only to slowly wane over time to the point where it didn't matter if you did or didn't take the medication.

In the end, I would be increasing my doses more and more, only to get quick results and more seizures in the end.

Yet Colton and I were prepared for that. I was already more than grateful for the current control I had over my seizures, not to mention that the doctors had already done their job by selecting medications that lacked the high tolerance rates compared to others.

I knew that over time I'd probably have to switch out on medication or increase the current dose. But for now I could at least enjoy a life with little to no seizures.

Stressing out about the potential future was useless anyways. For all I knew, the medication was set for life.

I knew some people had it way worse than me. People where surgery didn't help or where surgery was far too risky compared to the potential outcome.

The occasional seizure was nothing compared to the past, where I lived every day in fear, wondering when the next seizure would overtake me.

At least now I could enjoy my life and do what I could. Honestly, I felt quite proud of myself having evaluated all these dogs so far, saving lives no matter how small.

Hell, if I could train seizure dogs on top of this, I could help multiple people get some peace and quality of life.

For now, I was grateful enough to simply train my abilities and see how good I did in comparison to others.

There were no official required certificates, but honestly, I would prefer to at least know if I was up to par with other good trainers.

Colton smiled proudly at me, pressing a kiss against my forehead and making me smile in return.

"I'm proud of you, sweetie." Colton praised, making me flush awkwardly as I cleared my throat. Barely able to murmur my thanks, shivering as he pulled me against his chest with a teasing grin.

"Let's get home, where you can relax and have dinner." Colton winked, snickering as I flushed even more knowing what he was implying. We hadn't done much erotically, as I felt extremely awkward.

But that didn't stop Colton from teasing me from time to time, even though he respected my boundaries and never pushed farther than what I was comfortable with.

So I ignored the way my heart skipped a beat as I heard him laugh when I darted out of his hold and towards the car. Feeling a smile of my own play on my face, a shiver of excitement darting down my spine as I nudged Bruce in the back of the car.

Colton took his time walking over, allowing me to take some calming breaths before both of us got in the car.

I didn't know what the future held for us. But for once in my life, I was eagerly looking towards it.