Comments on: What a year

By: Kelley

Kelley — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 04:55:52 +0000

I’ve read almost your entire blog, from the beginning. I came upon it by accident while searching for information about a service dog for my daughter. I’ve found it very educational. I loved it. Any other place that had info about service dogs were just facts. I loved that I got to see behind the scenes and see what it’s really like. Thank you for sharing your story.

By: Priya

Priya — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 02:52:01 +0000

Absolutely love to read the “voice you have found” in documenting your families journey with hope! Your blog does a great job of celebrating the many victories Hope has helped accomplish! So proud of Gray for his hard work and so proud of your family for the forward thinking!

By: Jeff Springston

Jeff Springston — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 17:42:02 +0000

Wow… this is the first time I’ve come across your story and just reading this make me feel so incredibly proud to be involved with Autism Service Dogs of America! It truly helps us all understand just how important these dogs are and why we do this.

We discovered this organization probably 4 years ago, through a high school friend of our son who would bring a dog to school? My wife and daughter started looking in to what this was all about and started volunteering. It wasn’t long before we were “baby sitting” – I think it was Grace? In the first two weeks, we were hooked. Our first full-time dog was Jade and we fell in love instantly began “our journey”. We were (I was) a bit heart broken when it was time for Jade to move on to the next step but in came Mateo! A labradoodle… I wasn’t sure about this breed but one look in to his eyes you get to see incredible personality. Mateo just seems to smile and makes everybody around him smile! He was just so much fun to be around and to take to places… he quickly became a fixture at Central Catholic High School everybody there fell in love with him too! Every once in a while a random kid would show up in my daughters class and borrow her dog! He could end up in several different teachers, class room and would be stealing show. He is a very special dog…

We’re nearly a week in to Nevile and yep… we love him too!

This may sound funny but these dogs know they are special and they just walk proudly.

This is why we do this… thank you so much for sharing! –jeff

By: elizabeth

elizabeth — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 16:30:10 +0000

Beautiful.

By: Laurel

Laurel — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 06:56:02 +0000

Beautifully written, and spot on as always. As much as I know about ASDA and the benefits our service dogs provide to their kids, I can’t get enough of the family benefit and how the dynamic shifts with the addition of a service dog. I appreciate your honesty and courage in sharing your last year with all of us. I’m so happy you all have Hope, and can’t wait to see what 2014 brings for Gray.

By: Jen Rike

Jen Rike — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 06:31:53 +0000

I love you for sharing this! It’s been a joy for me to follow your journey. The examples you share give me hope for our future when Jeffrey gets his dog. I can’t thank you enough!

By: Libby

Libby — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 05:09:40 +0000

so inspirational for us to read what happens to the dogs we help raise. we’ re getting ready to release Kenya (service pup #3) and pick up Mateo (service dog #4). thanks for sharing, it really helps to motivate us to do more! Way to go Hope and Golden Family!

By: Stacey Wood

Stacey Wood — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 01:07:50 +0000

Thank you Rhoni for sharing your journey and being such an incredible voice for our children and us parents who love them unconditionally! Your posts are all so inspirational and this one is the best so far. I’m sharing this post so to help explain why our son would benefit with ASDA. I hope I can meet you, Gray, and Hope someday soon! ~Stacey