Every morning, when it was time for Emily to drop her son off at his school, a battle started. Tyler, who is almost 13, lives with a rare genetic disorder combined with autism and severe anxiety. His fear of leaving the safety of the car to enter a school building was so upsetting that it was a daily trauma. Emily never thought they would get over that obstacle. But all it took was Russell.
Service Dog Russell is the greatest gift Tyler and his family have ever received. Their partnership with him truly was a Christmas miracle.
“Last year, as we looked at the Christmas lights on our local holiday walk-through, Tyler spotted a man with a service dog,” Emily recalls. “He looked at me with hope, ‘Mom, maybe next year I can bring my service dog to look at the lights?’ I assured him that it sounded like a wonderful idea. Especially since, unknown to Tyler, we had received our invitation to attend class in January that very morning!”
Service Dog Russell is everything Tyler’s family hoped for and so much more. Although Russell doesn’t go into Tyler’s classroom, he has allowed Tyler to confidently exit the car each morning as Emily and Russell walk him to the front door.
Thanks to Russell’s deep-pressure therapy and confidence-building, Tyler is initiating conversations for the first time. He’s sitting through scary and painful medical appointments calmly because he knows Russell is with him.
Tyler’s time with Russell has had a profound impact. Recently, Tyler was given the annual Butterfly Award at his school, recognizing the student who has improved the most this year.
“Without the daily help of his furry best friend, that award wouldn’t even be on our radar,” Emily says.