Hero Service Dog for Emma


Our daughter and her Service Dog Prospect Hazel, are on their way to becoming a TEAM!

Goal:
To raise a Service Dog to help our 6 year old daughter, Emma with her everyday tasks affected by Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD).

Sensory Processing Disorder is commonly misdiagnosed by healthcare professionals, because it can look a lot like other conditions. Therapists, and doctors relate the symptoms to Autism, Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, ADHD, and Bi-Polar Disorder. Our daughter was recently given a Sensory Profile Evaluation by her Occupational Therapist, and her test results were shocking to the medical community. Emma is a rare case, and falls into both ends of the SPD profile. In other words, she is both a "Seeker" and an "Avoider." She also is affected by all 5 senses, which her OT has never seen before. Basically what this means, is every aspect of Emma's life and how she views and learns from the world around her is severely impacted by her condition.  


Our family has been blessed to have the support of a 504 nonprofit, Showtime Baseball SW. Through their efforts, we were able to bring home an exceptional Labrador puppy. She comes from genetically tested lines, and has been cleared for service Work. She was affectionally named Hazel, after Showtime’s President, Billy Hayes. We are in the beginning phases of her customized training through a local training facility, and Hazel is showing tremendous potential. Her ability to ease Emma’s anxiety generated from her disability has been touching to witness.


Quality custom-trained Service Dogs have the ability to enrich the lives of children living with SPD. Our hope is through a child-canine partnership, Hazel can help ease some of Em’s social and physical limitations. Unfortunately the training process can be 1.5-2 years on average, and cost well over $15,000. We have managed to save enough for initial vet expenses, and the required deposits for her training classes. However, we are turning to our community to help us with the financial responsibility for Hazel’s continued Service Dog training.

In her short 6 years, Emma has struggled with sensory overload. She has an almost impossible ability to recognize dangerous situations. This is both stressful, and terrifying for her family, friends and educators that adore her. Emma’s SPED teacher (who is INCREDIBLE with her) stays in constant contact with me while I’m at work. I love getting updates and being apart of celebrating her accomplishments. At the same time, I have this feeling of heart wrenching helplessness when I hear she’s having a rough day. How can my baby be so upset, she hides? AND have moments where she’s literally inconsolable? Her Behavior Therapist assured us, we are already doing everything we can. We have tried medication, counseling, behavior interventions (to try and have her remain in a general education classroom) however these treatments were not as successful as we had hoped. For her safety and well-being, we as a team have decided to move her into a Structured Learning Classroom. There she has a safe place to calm down and get one-to-one support. Her behavior therapist has suggested a dog could help with most of these debilitating behaviors. It would be a form of therapy in itself. Emma is bright, and makes everyone she meets laugh, but she’s also often angry, confused and lonely. She has trouble connecting to her peers, and we are hopeful her Service Dog can help bridge this gap. I am so blessed to be Emma’s mom and believe she belongs to me for a reason. I love her beyond words and will do everything I can for her. Thank you so much, and if you have any questions regarding her condition or the training process please do not hesitate to ask.

Emma’s mom,
*If you are unable to donate, could you please take a second to share this on your Facebook wall, repost on your Instagram or send the link to your friends and family? I am so blessed to be Emma’s mom and believe she belongs to me for a reason. I love her beyond words and will do everything I can for her. Thank you so much and if you have any questions regarding her condition or the training process please do not hesitate to ask. 

Sincerely,

Ashley Phillips