How and Why it all Began:
Once upon a time.... no.. just kidding. That would be how you begin a fairy tale.... this story starts with a very short, but none-the-less terrifying NIGHTMARE! When Phillip was around 5 years old we went to shop for some school clothes for him. We were in a small store and I had walked out to get the girls out of store because it was crowded. Phillip wanted to stay with his Daddy (Jamie). They got up to the counter, Jamie let Phillip go for 2 seconds - to sign his receipt - and when he reached back down for the little hand next to his - it was GONE!
In case you haven't read any of the other pages on this website - background info: Phillip has Autism. At age 5 Phillip didn't answer to his name, or even respond in ANY way when you called his name. So we completely panicked. HOW do you find a child that doesn't respond to his own name?? Or make any noise for that matter? You PRAY and HUNT and PANIC! That's how. Thankfully, we had taken Phillip into the dressing room earlier to try on some jeans and he LOVES mirrors - so he had just went back into the dressing room to look at his own sweet reflection some more. ((And thank God I had been outside the store - so we knew he was still INSIDE the store!!))
It was in that moment that we knew that we needed extra hands... or in our thoughts - PAWS - to help keep up with our little wanderer. We knew that 4 Paws trained dogs in tracking and tethering - two things that would have saved us from panic in that one terrifying moment. I went home that night and put in our application to receive a service dog from 4 Paws... and THAT, my friends - is how and why it all began.
In case you haven't read any of the other pages on this website - background info: Phillip has Autism. At age 5 Phillip didn't answer to his name, or even respond in ANY way when you called his name. So we completely panicked. HOW do you find a child that doesn't respond to his own name?? Or make any noise for that matter? You PRAY and HUNT and PANIC! That's how. Thankfully, we had taken Phillip into the dressing room earlier to try on some jeans and he LOVES mirrors - so he had just went back into the dressing room to look at his own sweet reflection some more. ((And thank God I had been outside the store - so we knew he was still INSIDE the store!!))
It was in that moment that we knew that we needed extra hands... or in our thoughts - PAWS - to help keep up with our little wanderer. We knew that 4 Paws trained dogs in tracking and tethering - two things that would have saved us from panic in that one terrifying moment. I went home that night and put in our application to receive a service dog from 4 Paws... and THAT, my friends - is how and why it all began.
The Process of Getting Lacey the Wonder Dog:
When you get a dog from 4 Paws - you don't pay for it. You sign a contract saying that you will help fundraise for 4 Paws - and in return you receive a service dog. Sounds simple enough, huh? Well that's when the hard work began. Fundraising $16,000 is major business. It took me and a WONDERFUL slew of people around six months to raise it. Fundraising was basically my life for that time - we had hotdog lunches, yard sales, sold doughnuts, made and sold dog treats, raffled a go-kart, took up donations to give in silent auctions, local restaurants donated percentages of their sales for certain days, we had coin cans around our local area, we were on TV and in the news paper numerous times! Phillip was a local celebrity! :-) We also had lots and lots of help from our local churches, our family, friends, a local radio station (107.5 KZL), and the ones who made our trip to Ohio possible: The Make-A-Wish Foundation! When we finally reached our goal - Karen (the founder of 4 Paws) contacted us and asked if we wanted to come to class in November of that year and we said DEFINITELY - if we can get the money! Then in comes MAW - and they granted Phillips wish to go to Ohio and receive his service dog. They paid for our gas, our room, all of our food - everything. And that, my friends is how we made it TO Ohio to get Lacey the Wonder Dog!
Boy Meets Dog... to A Boy's Best Friend
From the first day that Phillip and Lacey met - they were fast friends. Mainly because Phillip had a sack full of treats on him at ALL times.. but later - it was more. It was a bond that was more than we had ever dreamed of. The photo at the top of this page is one where Phillip had had a seizure and we put him on the couch to sleep afterwards - and Lacey snuggled up next to him without being 'told' to do so... because she loved him and knew something wasn't right with him. Phillip wouldn't go to bed without Lacey. He didn't like to leave the house without her. When he was in the hospital - we literally had to drag her off his hospital bed and outside to potty. She did NOT like to leave his side. And although she never growled or bared a tooth at a Dr or nurse - she would kind of lean over Phillip as if to protect him - when a nurse or Dr would come in - and she stayed there until they let her smell them or they said a friendly word. Only then would she move and let them do what needed to be done. Lacey helped US in so many ways too. She helped me get Phillip's medication in him on numerous occasions (by laying across his legs so he couldn't run away from me!), she kept him in tow while we were in stores, at the movies, and even on vacation. They both LOVE the ocean! In short - Lacey was everything we could have asked for - and more!
Lacey: Our HERO!
One morning *July 5, 2009* Phillip was still in bed sleeping (so I thought) when I got up for the day. It was unusual for him to sleep in - but it had been a late night the night before with fireworks and family so I thought he was just tired. A few minutes later I heard Lacey up - which WAS very unusual. ((Normally I had to drag her from the bed kicking and screaming if Phillip wasn't up)) Not only was she up - but she was pacing back and forth and jumping up onto Phillips bed and back down and to the door... So I got up and RAN to his room. I knew in that moment that SOMETHING wasn't right. Lacey never got out of bed before Phillip - and Phillip ALWAYS hit the door as soon as he got up because he couldn't open it.
I entered his room to find something that would change our lives for a very long time (and maybe forever). Phillip was in Status Epilepticus - which is a grand mal seizure that lasts more than 30 minutes. He was gray and his lips were blue and he was jerking rhythmically all over his whole body. His heart was barely beating... it was (and to this day still is) the most horrifying sight I had ever seen. And if it weren't for Lacey - I may not have went and checked on him then-- thinking that he was just sleeping in from his late night. He was such a light sleeper that if you even cracked his door to check on him - he would wake up and he didn't normally have seizures in his sleep - and he had NEVER had a seizure like that one before. And he may have died... right in the next room... and I would forever blame myself for it. I still blame myself for not checking on him sooner... my only justification is that he had never done anything like that before so I never thought I needed to check on him in his sleep. :-( Trust me - I have never made that mistake again - even when it has meant waking him up because he's such a light sleeper! He seized for over 2 hours AFTER I found him that day. The rescue meds I gave him didn't stop it, the meds in the ambulance didn't stop it, the 'normal' doses of meds in the ER didn't stop it... FINALLY a loading dose of Phenobarbatol stopped it... and kept him -basically- in a coma for the next 24 hours. When he woke up- he was paralyzed from the neck down on his left side. (I cover the rest of this part on another page... don't want to retype it all here...)
So Lacey is and will forever be MY HERO - for saving my sweet Angel's life on that morning. And for being there, sleeping with him, watching over him, playing with him, helping him so much over the last almost 7 years. She is a true hero.
I entered his room to find something that would change our lives for a very long time (and maybe forever). Phillip was in Status Epilepticus - which is a grand mal seizure that lasts more than 30 minutes. He was gray and his lips were blue and he was jerking rhythmically all over his whole body. His heart was barely beating... it was (and to this day still is) the most horrifying sight I had ever seen. And if it weren't for Lacey - I may not have went and checked on him then-- thinking that he was just sleeping in from his late night. He was such a light sleeper that if you even cracked his door to check on him - he would wake up and he didn't normally have seizures in his sleep - and he had NEVER had a seizure like that one before. And he may have died... right in the next room... and I would forever blame myself for it. I still blame myself for not checking on him sooner... my only justification is that he had never done anything like that before so I never thought I needed to check on him in his sleep. :-( Trust me - I have never made that mistake again - even when it has meant waking him up because he's such a light sleeper! He seized for over 2 hours AFTER I found him that day. The rescue meds I gave him didn't stop it, the meds in the ambulance didn't stop it, the 'normal' doses of meds in the ER didn't stop it... FINALLY a loading dose of Phenobarbatol stopped it... and kept him -basically- in a coma for the next 24 hours. When he woke up- he was paralyzed from the neck down on his left side. (I cover the rest of this part on another page... don't want to retype it all here...)
So Lacey is and will forever be MY HERO - for saving my sweet Angel's life on that morning. And for being there, sleeping with him, watching over him, playing with him, helping him so much over the last almost 7 years. She is a true hero.
Our old girl...
Lacey is now 8 years old - and for a big dog - that's getting up in years. Our vet says she's in good health and could live for a few more years - but its getting harder for her to get around and she's getting a little less tolerant of Phillip's antics. She has NEVER EVER growled, snapped at or bared a tooth at him - but she does get up and move away from him more often as she ages. She has some anxiety problems and gets nervous when she's in public now. She's just not quite up to being Service Dog Extraordinaire anymore - but she is DEFINITELY still an awesome dog. She still worries over Phillip when he's having a seizure. She is still excited to see him when he comes home from school. She loves him, he loves her - "it just ain't what it used to be". But we still love our old girl. And now when I wake up in the morning - I hold my breath when I check on them both- my two legged Hero - and my four legged Hero. Thinking about the day our sweet, wonderful, life saving Lacey passes away - just about brings me to tears. And thinking about my sweet boy not having his Lacey around breaks my heart. Their relationship isn't what it once was - due mostly to Phillip going through an extremely aggressive period in his life - but he still loves her beyond measure and knows that SHE is HIS. He likes knowing she's there.... where will he be without her? So I try not to think of it... and just be glad that she's here for another day. Our old girl... our Hero... our Angel's Four Legged Guardian Angel. <3