rare breeds
Merlin’s Kids trains dogs for lives of special service
BY VERA LAWLOR
ZURI TO THE RESCUE Zuri, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, was rescued in Arizona and trained
by Merlin’s Kids to act as a service dog for Aidan, who is autistic and lives in Texas. Zuri
goes to school with Aidan and keeps him from running off. Zuri has helped reduce Aidan’s
meltdowns from a few hours to fewer than 10 minutes. He also has far fewer meltdowns
since getting a service dog.
COURTESY OF MERLIN’S KIDS
F
or most families teaching a
dog to stop and go would seem
like basic training. But for the
Nitti family in Paramus these
commands – obeyed 100 percent of
the time by service dog Emmy – were
lifesaving for Harry, who is autistic
and non-verbal.
Harry, now 12, was 4 years old
when he was matched with Emmy.
At that time the biggest challenge for
the family was keeping Harry safe.
He was prone to running away –
often into the street or into a pool
if given the opportunity.
“If I let go of Harry’s hand for even
one minute he was gone,” his mom,
Gabrielle, says. “I lost him once in
a store when I reached up to get
something off of a shelf and that
was terrifying.”
Emmy brought freedom to
Gabrielle, who had been mostly
confined to the house with Harry.
Now, working as a team, she and
Emmy keep him safe. To do her job,
Emmy was tethered to Harry with one
lead and to Gabrielle with the other.
If Harry got the urge to run off, he
would have to pull a 90-pound
Rhodesian Ridgeback along with him. >
2 0 1 6 E D I T I O N | S P E C I A L PA R E N T
27