“ Emmy was trained to obeymy commands . If Itoldher to stop while Iwas shopping or talkingtosomeone she wouldn ’ tmove ,” Gabrielle says . “ This was so critical becausewhen Harry got older and stronger he becamealmost impossible to handle . He could already outrun me when he wasonly 5or6years old .”
RESCUED DOGS MAKING AN IMPACT
Emmy was avery fearfuldog when rescuedfrom TexasbyMerlin ’ sKids , a nonprofitorganization headquartered in MidlandPark . Its mission is to rescue , rehabilitate and train shelter dogs to work as certified service dogs for childrenand people with awide varietyofspecial needs . They include autism spectrum disorder , cerebral palsy , epilepsy , post-traumatic stress disorderand traumaticbrain injuries . Emmy was rehabilitated and trained specifically to work withHarry .
“ Our goal is to ensure that service , therapy or companion animals are availabletoeveryoneregardless of financial circumstance ,” saysJanice Wolfe , adog behaviorist andfounder of Merlin ’ sKids .
Theorganization has rescuedand trainedmore than 1,000shelter dogs to work as servicecompanions . This costs between $ 8,000 and $ 10,000 per dog and there is awaiting listof special needs childrenwho would benefitfrom aservice dog . Wolfesays that canine graduatesofthe Merlin ’ s Kidsprogram arehighly trained and highly specialized .
“ Right now we aretrainingtwo dogsfor kids ages 9and 11 with brittle bone disease . These kids can crack arib or breaktheirspines justbybending over ,” Wolfesays . “ When these kids fall , theydon ’ t just break one bone theymight break eight bones – it ’ sareallyscary condition .”
COURTESYOFMERLIN ’ SKIDS
28 SPECIAL PARENT | 2016 EDITION 201magazine . com / family