You calm me

     I would like to have the ability to film a day in our lives, so that you can fully understand what it is to know and love our J'Aden, since this is not possible I will do my best to convey this with words. J'Aden is a handsome, smiling, and thriving 4 year old boy. His blonde hair blue eyed self would steal your heart. Life has never been easy for J'Aden as he came into the world fighting he was born at 28 weeks. This resulted in Cerebral Palsy and Autism among some other medical conditions. He spent 6 weeks in the NICU. These conditions have led to him having Attention Deficit Disorder, he is behind in social skills, verbal skills, he has suffered Ghost Seizures, has repetitive movements, and the list goes on. This is where Felicity comes in.


    We found Felicity during our 2 year search for anything to help with the day to day struggles and J'Aden's on going needs. We first did a 3 day trial with her to see if she would click with J'Aden and if he would click with her. Instantly without any real introduction Felicity knew that was her boy and he took to her. We watched as for the first time in what seems like forever J'Aden climbed in to bed to go to sleep with Felicity at his side and he did not have a melt down. You may think that all he needs is any dog but this is not the case as we have other dogs and he has never responded to them in any way before. 


      J'Aden unknowingly self-soothes while petting Felicity or watching Felicity remain still and resting and our family is able to finally rest.  This is a huge milestone because before Felicity was introduced to J'Aden, him going in to any room on his own accord wasn't even a thought.  Almost immediately, our family feels some relief now as the concern is nowhere near the volume we were at before her arrival. 


    You know, a friend once told me that it is OK not to have all the answers, that sometimes something outside of our perimeters, another source, can be the solution.  We love J'Aden unconditionally and would not trade him for the world, as his grandparents raising him is a joy and a challenge. We give him all we can, but we are not all that he needs.  He needs Felicity and we see that more and more each day. 

    He is extremely impulsive and will run like the wind. This is absolutely scary when it might be in a busy parking lot or close to an open road.  Felicity has proved herself when knowing to stop him and keep him at bay until we are there.  She sat on him without hurting him until I got there. This is in response to what little training she has had which shows us that she has what it takes to be a service dog.  J'Aden's reaction to direction (if it does not appease him) is to become aggressive to others and even himself.  It is the saddest thing for us to watch when he pulls out his hair, even his eye lashes, or uses some inappropriate behavior and repeats said behavior over and over. Through training Felicity will learn ways to help curve these behaviors. Also, during training Felicity will learn the amazing talent for sensing when J'Aden might be having a seizure. This is not something all service dogs can do as some might think, however during a training trip to the store Felicity has demonstrated the ability to sense seizures when another participant began to have one.

    Most readers are familiar with the term and definition of autism these days.  I must say it takes all kinds of special love to endure, raise, and protect a child with autism.  Sharing a bit with you brings us to why we chose to share in the first place.  WE CAN NOT DO IT ALONE.  Felicity's training when all is said and done is  about 3,000 hours and will cost upwards of $10,000.  We are asking our village, those we know personally, those that share the experience with their own family, strangers, all of you to help J'Aden keep Felicity in training.  Be his village with us, please.  Thank you for your time and bless you all! Jade, Hammy, J'Aden, and Felicity.


     ***We welcome donations online with open arms but if you prefer you have the option to send a check directly to Unleashed Dog Training , 264 Howell Rd #7, Hubert, NC 28539. They can also be reached by email should you have any questions [email redacted] or by phone at [phone redacted].  Make sure your donation is notated that it is for "Felicity".  Every little piece of your hearts makes all of ours whole.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
     If for any reason the funds needed are surpassed before we are able to close the campaign we would like everyone to know that we will donate the extra money to other families that are in need of funds for their dogs training.