Team Tater Tot Service Dog Training

This is our brave 8 year old son Tater. He was born as a Type 4 Latex Allergy (skin irritation, hives, rashes etc from skin contact). Early May 2014 Ryan was exposed to a large dose of latex and went into anaphylactic shock. Over the next 10 days he cried over water blisters, blood blisters inside his ear that would pop at night while he laid down, he had rashed coming and going all over his body at random while we made daily dr visits to monitor his levels and sit and wait for the reaction and latex to flush from his system. Having to give your child codine to get through the screaming pain at night just to sleep is hard on them.

Sadly for Tater this reaction pushed him from Type 4 to a Type 1 latex allergy. This requires him to have an EpiPen within 15 ft at all times (children cannot carry or administer thier own so this changes family life quite dramatically). We now find he has at least one major reaction a week on average. So he now has specialty maskes to wear in public as even a scondary transfer contamination off someones clothes can now set it off. At this point he also now has to be homeschooled because the exposure risk at public school is to great as well. While he enjoys ORVA, it can be emotional for a child who does not have the choice to go to public schoool in a traditional setting because his health will not allow it. He rarely can go in public unless it is to rodeo as he can compete in NWYRA with little to no latex exposure as it is rare on horses and in bull riding. He has never been hurt in rodeo yet this invisible airborne particle contually stops his heart and lungs.

In order to help identify and warn Tater before he comes in contact with latex, the specialist recommended that we get an Allergy Alert Service Dog. This would allow the dog to accompany Tater everywhere allowing our now 9

year old to find a small amount of independance again as well as feel some of his adventurous side again without fear or anxiety over what can hurt him.

Training for service dog's and thier handlers need a great deal of specialized training. Tot has been through 3 programs already and is doing very well. Tater is now old enough to join him for the next 2 specialty training camps. The overall cost needed for them to complete this life saving training is just under $4,000 by the end of 2015.

We do appreciate each dollar sent as we try to continue improving Tater's chances of surviving and battling this constant life threatening allergy.