Ben had been having tonic clonic epileptic seizures more than weekly when his mum, Kylie, first started fund-raising for an assistance dog which also helps with autism and regulating emotions.

It costs about $30,000 to train Calvin, and in what Kylie describes as "an incredible miracle", Midfield Meats' Colin McKenna stepped in and donated the minimum $20,000 they needed for training to start.

When Colin, who has seven dogs of his own, finally got to meet Ben and Calvin, he even promised to cover the cost of feeding him for at least the first year.

Two weeks ago, 18-month-old Labrador Calvin made the trip to Kolora from Queensland where Smart Pups Assistance Dogs for Spec Needs Children Inc had trained him.

And when Ben arrived home on the school bus that day, Calvin bounded up to him, recognising his scent from the clothing that had been sent to the dog as part of his training.

"They have scent trained Calvin to sense changes in Ben's smells when he's having a seizure," Kylie said.

During seizures, the body releases a pheromone which is a very specific smell that humans can't detect but dogs can.

Clothing Ben had been wearing during previous seizures, along with videos of his seizures, had been sent to Queensland as part of Calvin's training.

Kylie said Calvin would be able to alert her when Ben was having a seizure, or about to have one.

Calvin is trained to be a calming presence for Ben and will nuzzle and lick his face until he comes to as well as helping him with the postictal phase of the seizure.

When they first started fund-raising for the dog, Ben was in and out of hospital because of the seizures but in the past six months he hasn't had a tonic clonic.

However, with his flu shot due in the next few weeks - which triggers a seizure - Calvin is expected to get his first "practice" at alerting them to a seizure.

And while Ben's seizures may be controlled by medication, that may not always be the case.

His absence seizures are controlled by a ketogenic diet, but Kylie said that at any point in time Ben could decide he did not want to eat that way anymore.

"He'd go back to walking out the door and falling over, walking into the loungeroom wall, not being able to learn at school," she said.

Calvin has also been trained to track Ben, something they have already practiced at Lake Pertobe and the botanic gardens.

When Ben started having seizures, Kylie moved into his room to keep an eye on him at night. But with the arrival of Calvin, she can now move out.

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