It’s been two and a half years since Tyler met his 4 Paws Service Dog, Logan; a unique partnership at a unique time in life. “Before our service dog we were having a very hard time parsing out if our son was having a medical or behavioral challenge at the time as they both looked quite similar,” Tyler’s mom Jennie said. “We needed a dog that would improve our son’s quality of life but also be skilled enough to help mitigate his numerous disabilities.”
Once Tyler and his family picked 4 Paws, the process of fundraising, training, and researching his unique needs began in order to find the right service dog for him. His mom says “One of the reasons we picked 4 Paws was their adaptive skill set to truly customize the dog’s tasks to our family’s needs and lifestyles.”
Finally, the wait ended in the early summer of 2020 when Logan’s career as a service dog began. The transition was seamless as Logan and Tyler teamed up and, his mom says today, “he goes to school, the hospital, and community outings such as sports events, and we are all confident in his skill sets that he will not only correctly alert to a medical event but also provide amazing community outreach and support to Tyler”
With Logan, Tyler is able to sleep in his own bedroom! Even when hospitalized, Jennie says “We didn’t realize that for extended hospitalizations Tyler needs fewer medications to remain calm. He goes through many medical procedures with Logan by his side. Our son’s medical care team asks us how the dog thinks Tyler is doing at any given moment.”
The Service Dog Team of Tyler and Logan, with parents Jennie and David, are an example of the value service dogs can be to individuals with disabilities that are ready to take on the responsibility.