Little Angels Service Dogs

Hi, my name is Emma Kautz and I am 17 years old. My family and I are currently fundraising for a non-profit organization named Little Angels Service Dogs. Little Angels places service dogs with children and adults across the country with a variety of disabilities. Little Angels trains many kinds of service dogs but for myself and others like me this will mean receiving a life changing Mobility Assistance Dog. The money fundraised will help pay for all of these special dogs for recipients on the waiting list. 


Over the past few years my disabilities have progressed to the point where I can no longer live my life independently, as I am walker or wheelchair bound and can no longer attend school. One of my main diagnoses is Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) Hypermobility type. This is a genetic connective tissue disorder that affects the collagen in my body. Because collagen is found in every cell, this diagnosis affects all of my body systems. It has also caused a condition called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) due to dysautonomia, a dysfunction of the body’s autonomic nervous system. Because of the loose ligaments in my body, I also have Cranio-Cervical Instability, meaning my skull and top vertebra pinch my brain stem. It has also greatly affected my GI system leaving me dependent on a feeding tube to my intestines and IV nutrition through a central line to my heart. These conditions affect my balance and cause fatigue, constant chronic pain and nausea, painful partial dislocations to most joints, and a whole host of other debilitating symptoms. These are just a few of the conditions that I live with daily.


I have been accepted by Little Angels Service Dogs to receive a Mobility Assistance Service Dog from their program. Little Angels trains service dogs to help children and adults with a variety of different disabilities. It is a charitable 501c3 non-profit organization and all donations to it are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Their dogs are trained in foster homes from the moment they are weaned. Once the dogs are mature enough, they are brought back to the Little Angels training facility for specialized task training to assist the individual with whom they will be placed. At around age two, each dog is paired with its perfect match on the waiting list to work with and love forever.


In my case a Mobility Assistance Service Dog will greatly improve my quality of life. Due to my limited mobility, I am dependent on a walker in the house and a wheelchair outside. Because getting around is so taxing, my dog will be able to do and retrieve many things for me. For example, it will assist me with balance, be able to turn on and off light switches, retrieve items from across the room, bring me emergency medications and an emergency phone, and close and open doors for me… both literally and figuratively! Additionally my dog will be able to give me back some of the independence in daily living that I have lost, allowing me to do many things I can’t currently do without the help of my parents. I haven’t been able to attend school for almost four years and don't get to spend much time with peers; thus, my dog will provide much needed companionship during time spent at the hospital or alone, which is far too often. But most importantly, I greatly hope that my dog will allow me to participate more fully in life in the future. I hope it will allow me to go to college and live independently in the dorms, help me return to participating in piano and other passions, and enjoy a normal teenage school and social life.


It will be a wonderful gift for me and other people like myself to receive the benefits of a service dog. Every dog Little Angels provides is paid for by donations. It can cost upwards of $50,000 to raise and train a service dog. There are a lot of expenses associated with training a dog so skilled, so we are working as volunteers to help raise some of these funds. Because the whole process can be quite lengthy, we are trying to raise money as quickly as possible to ensure Little Angels can continue to provide these special dogs speedily. The sooner funding is achieved, the shorter the wait time is for recipients.


Little Angels Service Dogs is a 501c3 nonprofit organization of trainers and volunteers who work to provide highly trained dogs to assist disabled children and adults throughout the United States. Please remember- all donations are tax deductible and every donation helps us reach our goal! 

 
Please consider sharing this message with your friends and family and as many people as you can.

 
We cannot thank you enough for your help!

Want to join me in making a difference? We’re raising money to benefit Little Angels Service Dogs, and any donation will help make an impact. Jonah is a 6 year old that was diagnosed with Epilepsy in 2018. Since then, many tests and visits have determined that his type of epilepsy is rare and doctors do not expect him to grow out of this. He has a few other neurological diagnoses as well such as Apraxia of Speech (speech disorder - will not go away but can improve with intense therapy), Developmental Coordination Disorder (again - will not go away but can improve with consistent therapy), sensory processing disorder, and anxiety (this is to be expected since he is such a unique kiddo). Jonah is a sweet boy that communicates in a unique way with of a few words, sign language, sound effects, gestures, and sometimes an AAC Device. Jonah has seizures while he’s awake and at times when he is asleep. He has had convulsive seizures, absent seizures, and a few where he has quit breathing. A service dog will help him gain a little bit of independence as he grows (like sleeping in his own room for example) and help him when he is overwhelmed. A service dog will be able to get help and even get emergency medications when he has a seizure. The dog will also be able to apply pressure therapy to help him come back around after the seizure occurs. Let’s help kids like Jonah gain a better quality of life with a service dog by their side! Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me. More information about Little Angels Service Dogs: Little Angels Service Dogs is a charitable nonprofit 501c3 corporation that reaches across all of the United States partnering service dogs with the disabled. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality dogs to assist in the daily lives of our recipients.

We have raised $10,350.13  !!! I know it seems like a large mountain to climb .. but I know we can get there  !! I am going to do a fun run .. we will do other fun stuff , this will just help us watch the donations grow and see where we are for the grand total of $38,000.  WE LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH !! 

Daniel's dog will be trained for :
Medical alert, deep pressure therapy, tether training, and search training.

Want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money to benefit Little Angels Service Dogs, and any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

More information about Little Angels Service Dogs: Little Angels Service Dogs is a charitable nonprofit 501c3 corporation that reaches across all of the United States partnering service dogs with the disabled. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality dogs to assist in the daily lives of our recipients

For those of you who don’t already know us, my name is Amanda and my husband’s name is Matt. We started dating in 2007 and were married on a very hot day in June of 2013. Shortly after we were married, we decided that it was time to start thinking about expanding our family. When we found out we were pregnant, we were overjoyed! My pregnancy was wonderful with hardly any symptoms and no complications. When the due date came and went, we decided on induction, we could not wait to meet our little boy.

Our delivery was a different story. We were admitted at 8pm to start the process for induction and the doctor broke my water the next morning. From there, everything was a whirlwind to say the least. An epidural that only worked on one side (and needed to be adjusted three times) followed by four hours of pushing, only to find out that he was stuck. Unfortunately, he was facing my stomach instead of my spine and could not clear the birth canal. This resulted in an emergency c-section. Then finally, almost 24 hours later, our sweet boy Connor James was here, 8lbs 6 ozs of pure love in our arms.

The beginning of his childhood appeared normal, however when he neared 16 months, his pediatrician noticed Connor was behind in his speech and recommended some early intervention therapy. We had an evaluation and began working with a therapist once a week. As Connor neared 18 months, we had another visit with his pediatrician, at which time she noticed that he was also not meeting other developmental milestones. She recommended further evaluation by a specialist. As parents, we thought she was crazy but obliged “just to prove her wrong.” When we informed our family, they were not surprised, having seen some of the signs the doctor had seen. We, as parents, often came up with excuses and reasons for why he was not doing these things. We would say “he is too busy to notice we are here” or “he is too distracted to wave” or “that toy is too fun for him to look up at us when we are talking to him”. The list of reasons could go on.

Then at 25 months old, the dreaded evaluation day was here. It was one of the most terrifying days, with an arena style evaluation that lasted almost 2 hours. At the end, the words no parents want to hear “we feel that Connor meets the inclusion criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder”. Our hearts sank, thinking this can not be true. What was said after that is somewhat of a blur, with both of us in shock. We began to experience what we can only describe as grief for what was supposed to be our life, our plans for our little love.

A couple weeks after his diagnosis, we switched gears from being sad to how we can help our boy get all the help and services he needs to be successful. Endless sleepless nights, phone calls, emails, therapy appointments and meetings followed in the next months to years. We learned fast how to be a fierce advocate. Fast forward to now, Connor is currently 6 years old. He is bright, happy, loving and talking more and more all the time. He has also just finished Kindergarten in public school. Connor and his younger, neurotypical, brother Caleb are the best of friends.

That being said, Connor still continues to struggle in some areas. For example, he continues to have difficulty with sensory regulation and processing. When he hears noises that are too loud or unpredictable, he is unable to focus. He sometimes has meltdowns and completely shuts down. He also has trouble with bolting and boundary control as well. If he becomes upset about something, he may quietly and quickly run away and has no safety awareness. He may be in a parking lot with no regard for cars or at home or school and he may run into the woods. He is unable to process that command to stop and come back because it is not safe. All he can think about is getting away. One of the other big struggles for Connor is his sleeping. He often struggles to fall or stay asleep and requires the presence of either Matt or myself in the room almost every night.

This leads to the reason for this fundraiser. Recently, we discovered a company in the New Hampshire area who trains service dogs to help children like Connor to adapt to everyday life, provide protection, and help develop confidence in social settings. Little Angels Service Dogs has approved Connor to receive one of these very special dogs. It is a charitable 501c3 non-profit organization that provides the capacity for all donations to be tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Their dogs are typically Labradors and Golden Retrievers who have been bred for this work. They are trained in foster homes from the moment they are weaned. The foster families do a fantastic job of getting these pups used to some very unusual circumstances at an early age. Once the dogs are mature enough, they are brought back to the dog training facility for specialized training to assist the individual with whom they will be placed.

In Connor’s case, the dog will be trained to perform a number of functions that will help him. When he is tethered to the dog, if Connor attempts to wander away or bolt into the street the dog will lie down making it impossible for him to get away. This action could very well save his life. By sitting on his lap and being at his side the dog will provide deep pressure (like a firm hug) which is a proven therapy to help him calm down and feel safe. The dog will also be trained to recognize those repetitive behaviors and try to distract Connor from continuing in hopes it will break the cycle. The dog will also provide Connor with unconditional love when he needs a friend.

It would be a wonderful gift for Connor and children like him to receive the benefits of a service dog. It costs Little Angels $38,000 to raise, train and place a service dog with deserving recipients. Every dog Little Angels places is paid for by donations from generous donors. While we wait for our dog to be trained, we are helping Little Angels raise money to meet their fundraising goals. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Little Angels Service Dogs, so they can continue their mission of "Changing lives...one dog at a time!" To donate directly to the website please visit: https://littleangelsservicedogs.org/ and under “Additional Information” please be sure to include our solicitation code: PA-BA-CO on all donations!

We cannot thank you enough for your help!

Sincerely,

Matt, Amanda, Connor and Caleb

Dear Family and Friends:

As many of you know (and some don’t since we haven’t been “publicly” discussing it until now), Kirsten has been experiencing numerous injuries and health issues in recent years. About 6  months ago, after more than three years of exploring and testing, we learned that she has a rare, incurable, genetic, connective tissue disease called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (commonly known as EDS.) 

 

EDS is classified as a syndrome not a disease because it effects connective tissue and therefore can manifest itself in nearly any/every major body function – heart, lungs, limbs, eyes, etc. So, no two EDS patients present symptoms exactly the same, which makes it very difficult to diagnose and treat. This syndrome is also challenging because it is “invisible,” eg, many EDS sufferers appear completely normal on the outside so those around them don’t understand that they are suffering inside. Because of all this, more than 80% of EDS sufferers also end up with anxiety and/or depression, in addition to their physical ailments.

 

One of the things that “EDSers” have found that helps are service dogs. Most service dogs for EDS sufferers perform two core functions: mobility aid and emotional support. For Kirsten specifically, although she remains positive, her abilities, independence and quality of life have taken a serious hit. Therefore, we have decided a service dog would be an important life support for her, accompanying her everywhere and assisting her not only with walking, balancing, using the stairs, etc. but also providing reassurance and comfort along with medical alerts.

After much research, we have chosen to work with Little Angels Service Dogs.  Sadly, tax regulations, equity issues and the need to find exactly the right dog for each recipient mean we can’t just “buy” one outright and receive it next month. It’s a process and could easily take more than 1 year. And the organization can’t even start looking for the right dog for a specific recipient until the full amount required to cover the costs of raising and training a dog are covered. That’s $38,000 per dog for this organization. We’ve raised $9,500 for Little Angels thus far, so we need to raise at least $28,500 more. That’s where you all come in!

The faster the funds are raised, the faster Little Angels can buy and train more dogs. NO AMOUNT IS TOO BIG OR TOO SMALL!


Thanks in advance for any/all your support – past, present and future. It’s been a really hard year but we feel blessed to be surrounded by such an amazingly supportive group of family and friends.


With love and gratitude,

Kirsten’s family

Thank you for visiting Rayan’s Page! Please read his story. 

Many of you know our son Rayan and what a sweet, fun-loving, and smart little boy that he is. But if you do not know him, let me share with you a little about our 6 year old boy. Rayan was officially diagnosed with Autism at the age of 2 ½ years, but he has been receiving ABA, Speech, and Occupational therapy since he was about 16 months old. He is the hardest working little boy, and loves to be applauded and praised for his efforts. I am talking a full out party! Rayan has taught us many things, but mostly to celebrate the little and big accomplishments. He currently is attending Kindergarten at a special clinic so he gets the 1:1 attention to facilitate his learning. Our goal is for him to start attending a regular school again in a couple of years with his younger brother.

When Rayan was about 3 years old, he began running away from us. It started with him wanting to run towards something, like a closed door, to investigate what was behind it, and then it turned into him darting away any chance he could. He didn’t and still doesn’t understand it isn’t safe to run into the street. So we began holding his hand in public to protect him. This also would frustrate him and bring on other behaviors, such as throwing himself onto the ground. We have installed special alarms and locks in our house, he had a 1:1 aide with him at all times while attending preschool, and he wears a GPS belt whenever we leave home. When my husband and I take him to a birthday party, we try to give him some freedom to play with peers, so we will stand “guard” at whatever exits and watch him continuously. Even with all of this safeguarding, and trying to prevent him to run off, he managed to run away on a family vacation on an island this past year. He saw an opportunity when both his mom and dad’s attention was called elsewhere, for a brief moment, and he took off. This is difficult to share and to talk about, because of the pain of reliving the worst moment of our life, when we thought we had lost our son forever. We were at a water park, so he did not have his GPS belt on. We searched, and searched all corners of the property and finally, after about 40 minutes, the staff from the hotel found him. He was playing and swimming in the shark lagoon. Yes, sharks… He has no sense of danger.  We were lucky we found him, but this was a difficult lesson reminding us of what we had to do to keep him safe.

Last year, we heard about a company in the San Diego area who trains service dogs to help children like Rayan to provide protection, to adapt to everyday life, and help develop confidence in social settings. Little Angels Service Dogs has approved Rayan to receive one of these very special dogs. It is a charitable 501c3 non-profit organization that provides the capacity for all donations to be tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Their dogs are typically Labradors who have been bred for this work as well as rescue dogs whenever possible. They are trained in foster homes from the moment they are weaned. The foster families do a fantastic job of getting these pups used to some very unusual circumstances at an early age. Once the dogs are mature enough, they are brought back to the dog training facility for specialized training to assist the individual with whom they will be placed.

In Rayan’s case, the dog will be trained to perform a number of functions that will help him. When he is tethered to the dog, and attempts to bolt into the street or wander away, the dog will resist and lie down making it impossible for him to get away. This action could very well save his life. Also, as Rayan gets older, we are hoping to give him more independence. When in public, we always have a hand on him to guide him and to prevent him from darting off. With his dog, he will have more freedom at playgrounds, stores, and walks around the neighborhood without always having to hold mom ordad’s hand. His dog will also be trained to track and locate Rayan by his scent if he does run away from home. By sitting in his lap and being at his side, the dog will provide deep pressure (like a firm hug), which is a proven therapy to help him calm down and feel safe in moments that cause him anxiety. The dog will also provide Rayan with unconditional love when he needs a friend.

It would be a wonderful gift for Rayan and children like him to receive the benefits of a service dog. Every dog Little Angels provides is paid for by donations. There are a lot of expenses associated with training a dog so skilled, so we are working as volunteers to help raise some of these funds.

Please consider making a tax deductible donation to Little Angels Service Dogs. And if you are comfortable, please consider sharing this message as well with your friends and family! 

 
We cannot thank you enough for your help and support!


This picture was taken about an hour before he ran off. 
 
​                
Photo Cred: Sami Ammar
We are hoping to give Rayan more freedom in public spaces with his dog. 


Rayan is ready for his bff!