Miley, a beautiful, strong-willed, loving, caring, sympathetic, and funny little girl, has been fighting battles ever since she was just 2-years-old. It was at this age that Miley was diagnosed with speech apraxia, as well as a developmental delay and sensory processing disorders. This, as well as her later diagnosis of severe ADD, ADHD, and anxiety made daily life difficult for Miley and her family.
Because of her speech apraxia, an uncommon speech disorder where the brain struggles to develop plans for speech movement, Miley has very limited speech. This makes it difficult for Miley to communicate with her family and her friends, which would lead Miley to have tantrums or become physical with others. To make up for her lack of verbal communication, she was always touching people or using her hands in some way.
Miley's elder twin brothers love her unconditionally. She is their number one fan and loves to cheer on her brothers during their sports games. Miley is always cheering and clapping and gets overly excited while watching these activities, bringing joy and happiness to everyone she encounters. However, it's oftentimes hard for Miley to play with other children, though she is an extremely lovable and loyal little girl, because they don’t understand her.
"[We wanted a service dog to] give Miley someone she can go to when she was frustrated or needed a play mate. Also to help her sleep at night and stay in her bed, as well as ease her anxiety."
- Michele, Miley's Mother
When Miley's family reached out to our team at W.A.G.S. 4 Kids, they were searching for something that could help Miley manage her diagnoses so that she could live her most joyful life.
And we had the perfect service dog to help her do just that: Mo was placed with Miley on the 28th of October in 2019. Their friendship began that day.
"When Miley is upset, especially with us, she goes to Mo to cuddle. He is there just to listen while she talks even though there is no response."
- Michele, Miley's Mother
Miley and Mo's relationship has grown stronger each day for the last year. Mo is always there to help calm Miley when she becomes upset that others can't understand what she is trying to communicate. When Miley's family contacted us in 2017, Miley hadn't slept through the night for the last 3 years, waking up anywhere between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. Now, Mo sleeps with Miley each night, acting as a furry companion who provides her with love and comfort.
"He is also her playmate and friend - a companion that will not judge her. They play in the snow, on the play ground, in the back yard, and go on walks all the time. He comes with us on vacation and is part of our family."
- Michele, Miley's Mother
At our organization, every family that we work with becomes part of our collective W.A.G.S. 4 Kids family. During the entire placement process, and even after the dog has been placed with their child, our team takes special care to give our families the support they need to ensure that their child and service dog form a successful partnership.
"W.A.G.S. 4 Kids was easy to work with and made you feel like part of a family. Mo is a blessing to our family and we couldn't imagine life without him."
- Michele, Miley's Mother
Stories like Miley's and Mo's are the reasons that we do what we do. To watch these children grow and learn with their service dogs - to watch them reach their highest potentials and live their most joyful lives - is one of the greatest rewards one can ever experience. Everyday, we work to try and make success stories like Mo's and Miley's possible for other children with special needs, but we can't do it alone. It's because of the kindness of others that we can help more families live better lives with service dogs.
This year, more than ever before, we need your support. Your gift today will help us ensure that we can feature yet another set of children during next year's "A Thankful Thanksgiving" blog series.
Check in next Thursday for the forth and last part of our 2020 “A Thankful Thanksgiving” blog series.
If you’d like to change the life of another child in Miley’s name, please click the button below to make your online donation today. Along with us, you are “Growing Possibilities, One Child at a Time.”