A Service Dog for Audrey

Through recommendations of professionals and observations as parents it has come to our attention that Audrey would greatly benefit from a psychiatric service dog. At the age of 13 Audrey was diagnosed with severe and at times debilitating mental health disorder: Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder and emerging traits of Borderline Personality Disorder. These disorders can cause an abundance of symptoms such as anxiety, depression, difficulty with close personal relationship, low self-esteem and self-perception, volatile outbursts of emotion, and fear of abandonment (in her case it is perceived and not reality). Audrey's mental health diagnoses are multi-faceted and require an incredible amount of discipline on her part & support from her family. Unfortunately this isn't always enough to assist Audrey in getting through everyday challenges without emotional set backs that are harder and more impactful than your everyday 14 year old experiences. The aid of a service dog would greatly benefit Audrey with emotional regulation, negate issues with social anxiety, and serve as an overall comfort in dealing with the overwhelming symptoms she can experience from day to ‌day.  If you would like more information on these disorders please visit The National Institute for Mental Health for both DMDD  and BPD . 
We would like to do all we can to pair Audrey with a dog as soon as possible so she can start experiencing the benefits of these wonderful animals. I encourage you to educate yourself about the abilities and benefits of psychiatric service dogs by visiting the link below:

http://www.servicedogcentral.org/content/node/77