Willow Merritt receives an early Christmas Blessing thanks to a generous community

 

[December 03, 2022] 

Author Dean Koontz once said, “Petting, scratching, and cuddling a dog could be as soothing to the mind and heart as deep meditation and almost as good for the soul as prayer.” This statement rings true for six-year-old Willow Merritt, who often struggles with feeling calm due to a sensory processing disorder.

Willow lives with her mom Jodie, dad John and older sister Aera and enjoys many of the activities other children do. Her mother Jodie said Willow loves climbing anything she can, playing soccer and doing tumbling. Willow also enjoys going to school, spending time with her grandparents and playing games with her family.

However, activities that involve being in crowded places can cause Willow great stress. Since Willow was an infant, one of her coping mechanisms has been pulling out her hair. In recent years, she was diagnosed with Trichotillomania, which is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition as a “hair pulling disorder currently classified under Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders.”

Therapies have helped Willow in various areas, but unfortunately, none have reduced her hair pulling.

Then one day about a year ago the family was at a flea market, which is one of Willow’s least favorite places. Willow saw a woman and her dog standing near them and calmly asked if she could pet the dog. The lady quickly said yes.

Before the Merritt’s knew it, Willow was lying in the Standard Poodle’s thick fur. Her parents said it was the most relaxed they had ever seen Willow act in a crowd. Willow stayed that way for about ten minutes and the owner encouraged her to relax as the rest of the family enjoyed the flea market stands nearby.
 

The Merritt’s’ finally fold Willow it was time to let the owner enjoy the flea market, but Jodie said Willow had a completely different demeanor after the experience.

Later in the day, the family saw the dog again and the owner told Willow she could pet the dog some more. When Jodie started talking to the owner, she found out that the dog, named Truly, was a retired service dog.

The woman told Jodie she could tell by Truly and Willow’s connection that there was something special about Willow.

Upon hearing Willow’s story, Truly’s owner said she believed a service dog could be a huge help to Willow. As the family walked away, Jodie said she and John both thought the same thing: “this encounter was not a coincidence.”

The family soon begin researching a way to get a service dog for Willow. They initially worked with a local non-profit that trains service dogs and gives them to families at no charge. The family hoped it would work, but the agency changed their minds towards the end of the application process.

Jodie said, “We were incredibly disheartened by this news, but later learned [the non-profit] couldn’t do what we needed [which was] to work with an organization specializing in psychiatric service dogs.”

Research shows a Psychiatric Service Dog “receives specialized training in order to perform certain tasks for an individual, the only difference being that a PSD usually helps those with unseen, unnoticeable disabilities [such as] anxiety, panic, post-traumatic stress, [or] depression.” Other types of service dogs “receive training to help individuals with tasks or activities that their disability limits or prevents them from doing on their own.”



The Merritt family soon found a psychiatric service dog organization and then met Aspen, a 13-week-old Sheepdog Poodle mix. Aspen was bred with the intention of becoming a psychiatric service dog. As they shared the story with the organization, Jodie said they became even more confident getting a service dog would be the best move.
 

However, there are no local non-profit organizations for psychiatric service dogs. To attain a service dog through this organization, the total costs for the dog, training, long term support and other things would be $17,000. Jodie said the average cost of training alone is $20,000.

When Jodie explained it was something the family would have to save for or fundraise, the owner ended up giving them a generous discount.



The Merritt family decided to start a GoFundMe campaign with the goal of raising $15,000. They shared Willow’s story to help raise awareness about her Trichotillomania and provide an understanding of how much Willow would benefit from having a psychiatric service dog.

Jodie said, “We believe Aspen can help lessen the pressure on Willow and our entire family as Aspen will provide the Trichotillomania support she needs.”

By doing so, Jodie said “Willow will gain independence and confidence, reducing her anxiety and increasing her peace.” She said they “have been praying for peace and pigtails for five years.”

As her parents, Jodie and John have said, “her peace is so important to us, but we know how desperately she wants to trade bald spots for pigtails, so we want that for her, too.”

Once the Merritt family posted Willow’s story on their GoFundMe page, people quickly responded with generosity. A WAND television news segment helped raise even more awareness.

By Thanksgiving Day, Jodie said the family hit the $15,000 goal. It was only eight days after posting the fundraiser on Facebook.



On Saturday, November 26, the family was able to bring Aspen home.

For now, Jodie said Aspen will enjoy the puppy life with the family until she is old enough for her ten weeks of training. The family will then do a three day handler’s training with Aspen. Once Aspen comes back home with them, they will have to return later in the summer for another training session.

Jodie said, “we have a lot of work ahead of us, but we are filled with hope and encouragement.” The family wants to thank everyone who helped make getting Aspen possible.





As Aspen gets acclimated to life at the Merritt house, Willow is enjoying cuddling and playing with the dog.

[Angela Reiners]

Related Links:
Psychiatric Service Dog. https://www.certapet.com/psychiatric-service-dog/