A Persistent Message
Mike Bramble
How long does it take for someone to find their best friend? Could it take six months? Could it possibly be a year? In the case of this family, it took them over four-and-a-half years to find Dunkin. Dunkin is Grace’s service dog and best friend.
Grace’s father, John, started the process. He had started the search back in 2019 while stationed, as a member of the U.S. Navy, in San Diego. John first started by seeing if there were any service dog organizations that worked with military families. Unfortunately, the organizations offered service dogs only to veterans. After reaching out to 30 organizations, John finally found one. This organization happened to be on the East Coast. They applied and waited a year and a half. They finally got an acceptance email from the organization. That same day they got a call and were told they were not accepted. The organization did not give a reason, but said they could reapply in a year. When that year hit, they reapplied. This time they heard back quickly: they were turned down again. This was because the organization could not match service dogs with teens due to legal reasons.
This time the organization was able to connect they with Kristin Hartness. Kristin works for Canines for Disabled Kids (CDK). Since the Grace’s family was now on the East Coast, Kristin was able to connect them with Healing House. Another piece of good news was Healing House was only 150 miles away. Within six months of applying, Grace was matched with Dunkin.
Together Grace and her family met a few of the potential service dogs before meeting Dunkin. One of the dogs just loved everyone. That one was a no. When Dunkin and Grace met, they connected instantly. Dunkin climbed up and put his paws on Grace’s shoulders, as if he was giving her a hug. That is done as a deep pressure response to her disabilities.
Even though he has been with Grace for only about six months, Dunkin has had a big impact on her. Dunkin follows Grace from one room to another. Dunkin also helps Grace cope with Bipolar Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. If they are out somewhere and it gets too crowded, Dunkin will go between Grace and the other person. Dunkin will also lead Grace out of that area. “Before she wouldn’t even go to Walmart,” Tammie, Grace’s mother, said. “Now they go in and out of those aisles. He just helps her get through that part of life.”
The next big milestone will be Grace’s taking Dunkin to school. The school, which has never had a service dog, needs to learn how to accommodate Grace and Dunkin. Kristin Hartness will travel to help educate the school—at no cost to the family. “We don’t understand all the legalese of the ADA and service dogs and she advocates for that,” said John. “She’s been fantastic.”
“I’m hoping that one day there will be more organizations out there that will help with children,” John said. Even though they had to wait quite a while, as they look back, they realize it was definitely worth it. “You have to potentially go through a lot of nos before you get a yes. You just have to keep trying and trying and trying,” John said.
