On May 23rd, 2016, William Snyder of Baltimore
will celebrate his 13th birthday. Turning 13 is a major milestone
for most youngsters, but for William, it is especially meaningful. At the
tender age of fifteen months, William, the son of Lori and Ron Snyder and big
brother to 9-year-old twins, Megan and
Marissa, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After enduring multiple
hospitalizations, chemotherapy and surgeries, William’s cancer went into
remission. Mercifully, he has remained cancer-free the past eleven years.
Today, William loves baseball, roller coasters, swimming and
many other pursuits. But the cancer left William with some significant
challenges. He is deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other, has
learning disabilities, developmental delays and periodically, William
experiences seizures.
“Once he was old enough to remember the seizures, William
developed a fear of sleeping in his own room,” recalls his father, Ron. So, for
about two years, William slept on a mattress in his parent’s bedroom. Though
William’s fears were completely understandable, Ron and Lori realized they
needed to come up with a better solution.
William and Asha |
After doing some research, they discovered 4 Paws for Ability, a nonprofit
organization based in Ohio, that trains and places service dogs with children with
disabilities. At first, Ron and Lori didn’t think William would be a candidate
for a service dog since he wasn’t blind or visually impaired. Then they learned
that service dogs are trained to work with children who have all kinds of
special needs. There are service dogs for children with seizures, autism, diabetes,
mobility disorders, hearing impairment, fetal alcohol and drug syndromes and multiple
disabilities. 4 Paws also provides service dogs for disabled veterans.
4 Paws seemed like the answer to their prayers. Yet, the
Snyders had lots to do before they could bring William’s service dog home to
Baltimore.
“It costs $20,000 to fully train a service dog,” Ron
explains. “We had to raise $13,000 of the $20,000 to qualify.” So the family
got to work. “We collected online donations, hosted a bull roast, had car
washes, raffles … It took about a year to raise the money. Then we were on a
waiting list for another year.”
In the year prior to bringing Asha, a female Golden
Retriever home, the Snyders helped trainers in Ohio to prepare her to work with
William.
“When William would have a seizure, we would send the shirt
he had been wearing [while having the seizure] to Ohio. The trainers would give
it to Asha, so that she would become accustomed to William‘s smell. She was taught to bark to find help
and learned to stay by her young master’s side and comfort William while he
seized.
Finally, the big day came. On Dec. 12, 2012, the whole
Snyder family boarded a plane to Ohio, where they would meet their new family
member for the first time. They stayed for two weeks, participating in training
and learning how to care for this very special dog.
“It was an instant connection,” Ron recalls. “ Right away,
William felt more secure. As soon as we got home, he began sleeping [with Asha]
in his own bedroom.”
Asha goes everywhere with William, says his father. “Whether
it’s school, field trips, restaurants, vacations – even to Oriole Park for
baseball games! She’s very protective and a great way for William to make
friends. Kids love her.”
Asha even knows the difference between work-time and playtime,
he adds. “When she has her vest
on, she’s professional,—it’s like her uniform— and when she takes it off, she
knows it’s time to play.”
With Asha beside him, William has the freedom to go about
his life independently. “She gives him confidence he didn’t have before. Most
of all, she’s his friend.”
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for disabled pets, pet owners with disabilities and service and therapy dogs?
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