On Oct. 13, my daughter Riley received a service dog. Our family spent ten days training in Xenia, Ohio, learning how to interact with the dog, taking her back to the hotel with us every night.    

Each family in our training class raised at least 11 thousand dollars to obtain their dog. The service dogs at 4 Paws for Ability are not for sale, and 4 Paws maintains the "title" to them, ensuring the dogs get proper care. Families must re-certify their dog each year, and provide documentation for vet care, etc.

Each service dog has 400-600 hours of training under their belt harness before ever meeting their new family. 

The service dogs at 4 Paws are trained in tethering, mobility assistance, hearing for the deaf, seizure alert, behavior disruption and they come with a slew of other skills.  

Any parent whose child has a need and a medical diagnosis is eligible to apply for a service dog. 4 Paws is one of the few service dog organizations placing dogs with young children. There are plenty of dogs available, though fund raising, and placement in a training class does take some time. Our fund raising went quickly and the whole process took about a year.

Riley has Asperger's, and her dog is helping to regulate her intense emotions, providing behavior disruption when she is in the midst of a meltdown. Our goal is to get to the point where the dog recognizes the escalation and intervenes before a meltdown begins.

It has been an amazing, emotional, humbling, exhilarating experience, this journey toward Riley's service dog.

Her name in Jingle.

"She eats treats fast!"

And, "She's soft."

Michelle O’Neil has contributed to A Cup of Comfort for Parents of Children with Autism, and Special Gifts: Women Writers on the Heartache, the Happiness and the Hope of Raising a Special Needs Child. She has written for Literary Mama, The Imperfect Parent, Age of Autism, Cool Cleveland and her blogs about Jingle have recently been picked up by The Bark! She will be writing the ongoing story of Jingle and Riley on the new Service Dog page of her blog, Full Soul Ahead!

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