My name is Mattie and I’m helping to raise money for Little Angels Service Dogs, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that trains and places life-changing service dogs with children and adults with disabilities.  Here is my story and why I’m asking for your help in supporting Little Angels.

To look at me, you would probably think I’m like most other 12 year old boys.  And I am.  I love to be with my family and play with my friends.  I like swimming, tennis, football, and anything with wheels. I’m a huge history buff – if something happened in history, I can probably tell you about it – from presidents to space shuttles to baseball.  

But I also have what is called an invisible disability -- severe anxiety (what I call my “worries”).  It’s part of who I am and with me every day.  

I have missed a lot of school because of my anxiety attacks and schoolwork can be a huge undertaking for me. I don’t know why school and schoolwork cause me so much anxiety.  I really love learning and I get good grades. (I even made Honor Society this year!)  And my teachers are very supportive.  I can’t help it though – when I’m feeling overwhelmed by school, I can’t concentrate, I get fidgety and upset, my stomach hurts, and I start to stutter and have tics.  At that point, it’s almost impossible to get any work done, which causes me to get behind in my work which causes more anxiety and the cycle starts all over again.  It’s what my parents call “debilitating”.  It’s what I call keeping me from just being a kid.

My parents had the idea of bringing our dog Tracker with us in the car ride to school.  (That’s him in the picture with me.)  He made a huge difference getting me out of the house and keeping me calm on the way to school, but of course he can’t come inside with me.  And he’s not trained the way a psychiatric service dog is trained.  So, I still struggle.  

My family did some research and found Little Angels Service Dogs (LASD).  LASD believed I would make a good candidate for a service dog, and I was approved.  Among other tasks, an assistance dog can be trained to recognize and interrupt an anxiety attack and relieve anxiety with deep pressure therapy.  I can’t even begin to imagine what school would be like without the fear and anxiety that I have come to expect on an almost daily basis.  

LASD spends $38,000 per service dog it trains.  The cost covers 600 hours of training (including training for the recipient’s individual needs), veterinary care, boarding, grooming, and supplies.  The expense is covered entirely through fundraising.  It is for this reason that I am asking you to consider making a tax-deductible donation to help Little Angels Service Dogs continue to train and place service dogs with recipients in need and to share this request with family and friends.  (You can find more information about LASD here:  https://www.littleangelsservicedogs.org/.) 

Thank you with all my heart for reading my story and for helping me and other kids and adults like me whose lives can be changed one little angel at a time.

If you wish to donate, you can do so safely on this page.  You can also go to Little Angel’s site noted above, go to their Donation Hub, click on the Recipient Fund tile, and reference my recipient solicitation code when completing the requested information ( PP-KI-MA).