Service dog is boy's best friend

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Service dog is boy's best friend

A poodle bought on a whim transforms a boy's development.

By Samieh Shalash | 247-4537

December 31, 2007

HAMPTON - Jill's fluffy white hair is long,

poofing up from the top of her face. Just perfect for a little boy to take a

brush and rake it through.

That's what 5-year-old does with his poodle, Jill. He was born

with Down syndrome, a condition that causes developmental delays, and his arm

muscles get a workout with each stroke of the brush.

and Jill, a service dog, were paired when he was 2, a toddler who had

yet to crawl. He also couldn't speak and needed hearing aids.

It's rare for a child younger

than 6 or someone with Down syndrome to have a service dog, said Hough,

who trains dogs at her Roanoke-based business, Field of Dreams Dog Training.

They're most commonly used by people with blindness, cerebral palsy or multiple

sclerosis, she said.

So when 's mom, a Ellis, called Hough in late 2005 to inquire about

training a poodle for , Hough made it clear there were no guarantees.

" What I took was my knowledge from documents saying how animals can

enhance a person's ability to learn more quickly, " she said.

Ellis held her breath for six weeks, until she made the four-hour drive to

Roanoke for an assessment of the poodle. She bought Jill with $300 of personal

savings and no idea if would benefit from a service dog.

" I didn't want to hear from anyone what I did with the family money, "

she said. " If it was a bad idea, it was my money. I bought it, I'm sorry,

get over it, and she'll just be a pet. "

Her worries soon transformed to small triumphs. Hough assessed Jill as a viable

service dog and began training her as a mobility assistant to . He went

from a wheelchair and walker to independently walking in less than two years

with Jill's help. When he walks, the two are sometimes literally connected with

a tether between his belt loop and Jill's harness.

" When Jill moved her leg, it forced to move his leg, " Ellis

said. " That's increased his speed and taught him a natural-type walk.

People with Down's tend to have a labored walk, teetering from side to

side. "

By the time a second walker had been ordered for , they had to send it

back because he didn't need it, she said.

quickly became attached to Jill emotionally, too — his first kiss

went to her, and he falls asleep best when she's beside him.

Their rapport is clear at home, where holds onto Jill's harness as he

laboriously climbs the dozen-or-so steps to his bedroom. He pauses to blow Jill

kisses on his way up, receiving admonishment from his mom that it's time to go

up steps, not be mushy.

Later, Jill sits still behind as he sits at the kitchen table and uses

sign language to ask for a cookie. Ellis lets him have a banana instead, and as

he gobbles it up, Jill lays still, just watching.

Their relationship is incredibly natural, Ellis said.

" If Jill is on the bed, you can get him to lay down, " she said.

" He usually lays on her and rubs her fur and 20 minutes later he's asleep.

accepts Jill as a normal part of his life. He's probably more accepting

and affectionate with her than with any of his siblings. "

The poodle is only part of 's progress plan. His week is jammed with

therapies, including occupational, physical and speech therapy, therapeutic

swimming and horseback riding. He also spends two days a week at the Hampton

University Child Development Center, where director Janice Cawthorn has been

working with him since January.

Cawthorn recalls being asked if she was willing to have a child with a service

dog in her classroom.

" I just thought, 'Well, of course I am,' " she said. " Why

wouldn't I be? "

was the first child she's encountered who uses a service dog primarily

for mobility. She calls their pairing " amazing. "

The 3-year-olds in his class were at first fascinated by Jill, Cawthorn said,

but with the help of a book she made they began to understand, " We can't

pet her, she's a working dog. We can't touch her, we can't feed her. "

Jill stays tucked beneath a desk during the class but helps Josh climb the

three steps to the building in the morning and walks with him to the cafeteria

during lunch.

" We have handicapped access, but (Ellis) didn't want that, " Cawthorn

said. " She wanted him to be able to walk up the stairs like the other

kids. "

And now he does, perfectly embodying the vision Ellis had when she went on a

whim and bought Jill.

" The only thing I knew was that the best thing for was to be

independent, " she said. " I didn't want to spend the rest of my life

having to coddle him and protect him. ... I knew the more he depended on a dog,

the less he would be dependent on any one human being. "

To help out

The Service Dog Fund was created in 2005 by a family friend, Dr.

T. Christian. The fund's mission is to help children get service dogs and

to maintain them. It also pays for materials to teach others about service

dogs. a Ellis is working on a coloring book about and Jill to give

to children when she speaks at schools and community events. To donate to the

fund, send a check to: The Service Dog Fund, P.O. Box 1892,

Hampton, VA, 23669, or call 723-6810.

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