Official 4 Paws For Ability Web Site www.4pawsforability.org

PINK GIRLZ, INC.

CASSANDRA AND MARLEY            SEIZURE ASSISTANCE DOG 

Hello all.  Well, we are back and we had a great trip.  Evan and Max are getting along really well, in fact they have the same personality!  They are both obsessed with going outside and playing ball! He fits really well with our family.  Training was great. Jeremy is really good with the dogs but just as important he is good with the kids and even the parents. He doesn't say, "You are doing it wrong, again."  He just keeps telling you how to do it right.  That way you don't feel like a complete idiot which I appreciated. We took him to Walmart today to restock our house with no problem.  He behaved really well. Evan stayed with us the whole time we were shopping today because he had his own leash hooked to the back of the harness.  I didn't have to call for him or look for him once.  He told Phoebe today that Max is our family.  He is even talking better. In the hotel we both commented on how well he seemed to be communicating. I was even going to talk to the doctor about changing his seizure medication (the one that is working) because I have been so concerned about his regression in speech.  I think I will hold off.  Can't really explain it other than just an added confidence and security and desire to communicate because of his new friend.    All of the dogs (that were in the training class together) fit their families personality perfectly.  It is amazing considering Karen nor Jeremy have ever met us.  All of you that are still in the process can feel sure you are in good hands.   Warmly,  Angela Scott     Evan, Phoebe, and Max's mom

UPDATE
Hello to all. I don't post very often but I read a lot of your e- mails and am amazed at how many new people are getting these wonderful four paws dogs. My son Evan has Max. He is a Lab/Australian Shepherd mix and he has been with us for a year and a half almost. Max's certification is Autism assistance. Evan's actual diagnosis is Multi-Handicapped which means he doesn't fit any syndrome or mold so they don't know what else to say! LOL Anyone else out there? Anyway one of his issues is Epilepsy caused by the damage in his brain. The good news is that Evan hasn't had a seizure in over two years so obviously we didn't really know if Max would alert us or not. He has always had his seizures either during or right after sleep so this is the reason we looked into getting a service dog. From the very beginning we trained Max to sleep with Evan just in case. An 86lb dog and a 72lb kid in a twin size bed!!! Well thank goodness we did because on Sunday morning about 3:30 Max came into our room and laid down beside our bed. It woke me up because Max doesn't come into our room at night. He doesn't get up until Evan does, even if the rest of us are up usually. I opened my eyes and thought why is Max in here. The light was on in the bathroom. I went to see what was going on and Evan was on his knees beside the toilet. He apparently started feeling sick and when he got there he started his seizure and he was literally stuck. He couldn't even lay down without us helping him. Evan usually vomits during a seizure and that is what has awakened me in the past. He never did. It was totally silent in my house and if it were not for Max I am not sure what I would have found when I got up to get ready for church. I don't know or care if Max meant to wake me up, I just know that having him in the house sleeping with my son was enough to alert us to any danger. I said a prayer of thanksgiving for every penny that was given, every baked good and item that was donated auctioned off and for 4Paws who provided this wonderful animal. In that one moment all the responsibility, being denied entrance into the movies, the rudeness and ignorance of people, everything that comes with having a service dog, was worth it. Thank you Karen and Jeremy. There are not words to tell you how much what you do matters. See why I don't post very often! Sorry so long. I just had to share my heart with all of you. 
Love, Angela Scott Evan, Phoebe and Max's mom

SOPHIE and BOB     AUTISM ASSISTANCE DOG

OWEN AND CHASE  
MOBILITY ASSISTANCE DOG 2004

DAVID AND KAI  
AUTISM ASSISTANCE DOG WITH SEARCH AND RESCUE TRAINING 2004

CANADA

MARENA WRIGHT AND ANGEL      MOBILITY ASSISTANCE DOG

MARIE MERKLE AND SHADOW      IN HOME COMPANION DOG

ANN and ELIJAH    HEARING EAR DOG

SYDNEY NELSON and ROONEY     SEIZURE ASSISTANCE DOG

JOVAN and SAGE     AUTISM ASSISTANCE DOG

LIBBY and BEAR    STREET CERTIFIED COMPANION DOG

CARTER and EMMA     AUTISM ASSISTANCE DOG

GARRETT and BO "BO JANGLES"    SEIZURE ASSISTANCE DOG

Garret had a stroke in utero. Stopped breathing when he was nine days old, and had his first known seizure at eleven months of age.  Through out life has suffered from right sided weakness, a learning disability that progressed as seizure activity increased and has always attended Developmentally Handicapped classes in school.  Garret has had Generalized and Complex Partial Seizures that lasted anywhere from two minutes to three and a half hours at a time.  He has also experienced Absent seizures along with hallucinations and some in Temper Tantrum form.  Medication after medication was introduced to find it either did not control the seizure activity or they caused adverse side effects.  Seizures remained intractable and his mentality was going down hill.

HUNTER and KICKER     MOBILITY ASSISTANCE DOG

4 year old Hunter Grove was finding himself left behind by his peers. Fearing that as he got older this would happen more and more, Hunter's Mom came to 4 Paws for a miracle. That miracle, is Kicker. Kicker can retrieve things Hunter drops and help him up from the floor if he falls but most important of all, Kicker is Hunter's best friend.
Hunter's Mom had this to say:

I have been trying to write this to you for some time now, but the right words seem to fail me. How does one express to another their most sincere appreciation when words are not enough? You, and 4 Paws, have changed our family's life!  For what you have enabled us to give to Hunter, we can never thank you enough!  Although the team has only been together for a short time, we have seen a new found strength and courage in Hunter.  He is attempting physical challenges now, that months before he would have deemed to strenuous.  He is risking more to try things that he had deemed prior to be to hard.  And the difference in his words is Kicker..."Kicker's here" and "Kicker's watching me." We have also seen a boy be shunned at a party, leave in tears, and come home with happiness because Kicker, his best buddy, was there to greet him with a kiss on the cheek. Hunter's life is more complete because he has Kicker by his side.  If Kicker has done nothing else but offer Hunter more self reliance, more self confidence, and a friendship that will never waiver, than all of this has been worth it.  I can now say that we would go through this journey a thousand times over just to see the happiness and joy we see in Hunter now.
 

PATRICK and MOJO     AUTISM ASSISTANCE DOG

MARK ECHTERLING  MAX and SHADOW    MULTIPURPOSE ASSISTANCE DOGS

Mark came to 4 Paws, after being diagnosed with brain cancer asking if we could give his dogs the recognition they deserve. While we rarely certify dogs that have not been trained through our agency, these special dogs did indeed deserve the 4 Paws titles of                                                                                                                                                                                4 Paws Service Dog, UKC GR CH Tumbledowns Moon Shadow DSA, PDX, TDI, CGC, Penn Hip, OFA El

and
4 Paws Service Dog UKC GR CH RBIMBS Royal Echos Maximum TT, TDI, CGC, PDX, DSA, OFA
 

Update

TYLER and SCOOBY     AUTISM ASSISTANCE DOG

Dear 4 Paws
Please get me a dog that likes cats, does not bark at other dogs, is housebroken, loves bones, walks right on the leash, and loves children.

This is the letter that arrived in the mail along with Tyler's application for a service dog. Aside from the fact that he loves cats that run away from him (which the shelter cats didn't do) Scooby is just what Tyler ordered! Being there when Tyler met Scooby for the first time was a real treat. He ran to Scooby and threw his arms around his neck stating, "This is MY Scooby Do. He is my best friend."  When we talked with Tyler during his interview, he told us he was from another planet; a planet where no one cares if your different. This statement sums up the feeling of most children with "Asperger's Syndrome", who know that they are different and that in this world, a child who is different often means a child with no friends. Tyler, has extreme difficulty making and keeping friends, Scooby? He could care less that Tyler doesn't always act in ways society deems 'normal'; he is just glad to have Tyler as his best friend!   Tyler's Mom has this to say...Thank you for your help.  Scooby has wormed his way into the hearts of all the family members (except the cats!!) and seems content to hang his hat, well...collar, here.

MADDIE and ALVIN      MOBILITY ASSISTANCE DOG

Maddie Lang is 4 years old and fighting for her life. She has Metachromatic Leukodystrophy or MLD, an extremely rare genetic disease. MLD destroys the fatty covering that insulates nerve fibers in the brain. The disease slowly robs its victims of the ability to walk and talk and causes severe pain in the arms and legs. There is no cure and the children rarely live past the age of ten.   Alvin will be trained to pick up the items that Maddie drops, run to get Mom if she needs help, and hold doors open so that she can easily make her way through. He will also be trained to turn the lights on/off. In addition, Alvin will be taught to help Maddie stand up from the floor. 

The braces that Maddie wears make it very difficult for her to stand up, so if she falls she may not be able to get back up on her own. The answer? Alvin to the rescue! Alvin, who will wear a special harness, will be trained to lay on the floor by Maddie so she can put her little body over his back and grasp his harness. Then with a quick command to stand, he will do just that taking Maddie with him.    Already, Alvin is making a difference. Maddie has his pictures in her room and on her door. When the nurses, doctors, and hospital personnel come and go, they see Maddie's smiling face as she exclaims, "See my new puppy!" Alvin will become Maddie's constant companion and best friend.

JUDI and BAILEY    and now,  JUDI and Kellea (Her 2nd 4 Paws Mobility Assistance Dog)

Bailey was the first service dog to be placed by 4 Paws. She did her job well and now waits at the rainbow bridge for her partner. For now Kellea alks beside Judi and does her job with joy and happiness and I am sure under the guidance of service angel, Bailey Belle!

KATIE and CODY   SEIZURE ASSISTANCE DOG

Katie, is ten years old. She was born with multiple disabilities including Cerebral Palsy and a seizure disorder so severe, it has permanently affected her developmentally as well.. When seizures are this severe, the child must be in sight of an adult at all times, to prevent injury or even death. “Katie has a bed in our room,” states Katie’s mom, “her seizures are that severe.” Katie’s teacher reports that her seizure disorder affects her functional abilities by preventing opportunities for social independence. She states, “Katie is a warm, wonderful child, brimming with potential. However, her seizure disorder stands in the way of her growth as an independent young person by necessitating constant supervision.”    Anyone who has experienced the effects of seizure disorders can easily understand the parents fear. Imagine having to constantly supervise your child, even through the night, for fear that a seizure may seriously injure them or even take their life.   Cody, a wonderfully smart and gentle Golden Retriever, has become Katie's Street Certified Companion Dog! Cody will provide emotional support, and constant companionship for Katie. He parents report that since Cody has come to live with Katie the number of seizure she has is decreasing. How can this be? It is something far beyond human understanding. Dogs have a healing touch that can be described in no other words besides, IT IS A MIRACLE! As Cody grows and Katie matures, Cody may be trained to do seizure response work. At this time, Katie isn't able to engage in the intensive training exercises needed to have a successful Seizure Response Dog placement, but as she matures she may become eligible for this training and if she does, Cody will be ready and will surely step up to assist her in that endeavor! For now, we all hope that Katie will continue to have her seizure activity at a greatly reduced rate and who knows, maybe with Cody by her side, the seizures may stop altogether! We can always hope for that!   UPDATE: Today, with Cody by her side Katie is indeed seizure free and has been since the day Cody walked into her life!

JENNIFER and CANDY     HEARING EAR DOG

MARTY and SHELLY   MOBILITY ASSISTANCE DOG

4 Paws Service Dog Shelly makes Marty's life a bit easier. Marty was born with Cerebral Palsy and uses either a walker or electric scooter to get around. Shelly can retrieve items that Marty drops and return them to her so she doesn't fall trying to get them herself. Shelly can also get her clothes out of the drier and place them in the laundry basket!

ANNIE and BUTLER      MOBILITY ASSISTANCE DOG

MONICA AND CHELSEA

Chelsea, a street certified Companion Dog is a certified therapy dog with both an AKC CD (Companion Dog) and CDX (Comapnaion Dog Excellent) title.
This is what Monica has to say about Chelsea
"Monica is diagnosed with Myofacial Pain Syndrome, has chronic back and knee problems.  Chelsea provides help up and down stairs and inclines.  She helps with balance since I often loose my balance and stumble or fall.  She will do a brace to help me get up after a fall, or from a chair.  She picks up dropped items such as my keys, pencils, pens, paper, thumbtacks, etc. at my job. She also gets things for me off lower shelves in the Grocery store etc.  She will get my cloths from the dryer for me, as our dryer sits low and it is hard for me to bend down to get the clothes from the dryer. More recently, I am losing some hearing.  If there is background noise in a room, I have trouble hearing.  When I am home alone. She will alert with a loud bark and run to me to let me know when someone is at the door, or on the property. I just don't hear the door anymore.  Chelsea also provides me with emotional support.  She senses my moods and responds as she needs to.  I now do many things like hold a part time job in an office and ride public transit because of Chelsea.  I could never have gotten on a public bus by myself before Chelsea came into my life."

AUTISM ASSISTANCE DOG