My name is Larena Runnels and I live in Elizabethtown, KY with my husband and our three beautiful children. My middle child, Layla, has autism, chronic migraines, and a history of seizures.

Layla was diagnosed with autism at age two, and at age three, she began having seizures. Handling seizures is already complicated; however, Layla’s autism made this even more challenging. Layla struggles to verbalize and communicate and her seizures are typically silent, characterized by tenseness and mild shaking. If you’re not looking at her, you wouldn’t know she’s having one. That is especially terrifying as a parent – I felt like I needed to be there, with my eyes on her all the time, to keep her safe. Otherwise, she could have a dangerous seizure and I’d never know. Nighttime was especially scary – I could never sleep well for fear that she’d have a seizure in her sleep.

We reached out to 4 Paws for Ability in search of a seizure assistance dog. Thanks to our incredible community’s fundraising efforts along with the generous support of Eisai through their Magnolia Paws for Compassion program, we were able to bring Harry Hay (known as Harry), our seizure assistance dog, home in September 2021.

Thanks to 4 Paws for Ability, our family is now not only complete, but more at peace with our situation. We are all more confident and secure (and able to sleep at night!), knowing that Harry will alert if Layla has a seizure. Harry can also detect if Layla has a migraine, something she has difficulty communicating to us, allowing our family to better treat and support her.

In addition to seizure support, one of Harry’s greatest abilities is that he provides behavioral disruption and redirection related to Layla’s autism. He nuzzles Layla and applies deep tissue pressure to her legs with his body. Further, if Layla wanders or gets lost (often typical of autistic children), Harry is an amazing tracker – he can track and find her outside of the home or inside of a store.

4 Paws for Ability has provided us with one of our life's greatest gifts while simultaneously supporting us and offering us resources and people to reach out to. Those of us with service dogs from 4 Paws for Ability call the special bond between a child and their service animal the “4 Paws Magic” – and seeing the bond between Layla and Harry is proof that the 4 Paws Magic is real and stronger than I ever thought it could be.

At 14 months old, Jackson Schnur was diagnosed with Infantile Spasms and then at 3 years old with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), a severe form of child-onset epilepsy that causes daily seizures and global development delays. They learned about 4 Paws for Ability at the Epilepsy Foundation’s National Walk for Epilepsy in 2015.

In 2018, Janey, a Golden Retriever Lab and a seizure assistance dog, joined the family and has been a wonderful addition for both Jackson and his family. 

In November 2019, the Schnurs spotted a growth on Janey, and later learned that it was a malignant tumor. Unsure what to do, they reached back out to 4 Paws for Ability who immediately recommended they get another service dog in case Janey became too ill to perform her duties. In March 2020, the family welcomed Hoop-De-Doo (Hoops) into their home. 

While they expected Hoops to take over Jackson’s support, Janey has been dedicated to continuing to work despite her illness, and was re-certified as a service dog in June 2020. Hoops has different skills than Janey, such as the ability to pre-alert the family of an oncoming seizure by licking Jackson, or the ability to press the “open” button for handicap-accessible doors. Janey has been trained on behavior disruption, so that when given a verbal command, Janey will give Jackson “kisses” or jump up on his lap. They are also very good at tracking and have memorized Jackson’s scent so if he were to leave the house or be on his own for any reason, they would be able to use their keen sense of smell to track him down.

The dogs enjoy playing together as well, and thanks to 4 Paws for Ability, the Schnurs are appreciative and happy knowing that they have two service animals supporting Jackson and the rest of their family.

My name is Marcia Kirchhofer and I live in Brookville, Ohio with my husband and our three kids. Hannah, my oldest child has been experiencing seizures almost every day of her life. At age 11, she was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome, a rare, catastrophic form of epilepsy. Hannah has also been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), so she also struggles with mobility and has to use a walker to get around.

When Hannah was nine years old, my husband had recently been deployed to Iraq and I was taking care of her, along with her two younger brothers, completely on my own. I had seen a 4 Paws for Ability service dog while at the hospital with Hannah and decided to do some research to see if a service dog would be right for her condition. 4 Paws for Ability stood out to me as one of the top agencies for placement of service animals, so I decided to start the fundraising process right away. After that, we received Blitzen, her first seizure assistance dog.

Our life changed soon after Blitzen came along. I no longer had to sleep in the same bed as Hannah or keep a constant eye on her throughout the night, as I was learning to trust that Blitzen could alert me to her seizures. Blitzen accompanied Hannah to school starting in the third grade and quickly helped Hannah to better socialize with her peers, improving her communication skills and ability to interact with others. Blitzen remained Hannah’s best friend and service dog through 12th grade, at which time we had to retire him. Blitzen recently crossed the rainbow bridge, but spent several years as a family dog, enjoying his old age with all of us by his side.

In January 2019, Hannah received a new service dog, also from 4 Paws, named Yuki. To meet Hannah’s evolving needs, Yuki is specifically trained in seizure alerting, mobility, behavior disruption and retrieval. Yuki and Hannah quickly formed an amazing bond like the one Hannah had with Blitzen. Yuki helps provide Hannah with the freedom to not have to be with an adult at all times. Yuki can also help Hannah balance and get around better, pick up things and open doors. Hannah and Yuki both love to swim and Yuki joins Hannah at the local YMCA for her swimming lessons. This summer, they’re looking forward to swimming outside together! One of my sweetest memories is when Hannah went to our church prom – Yuki dressed up for the occasion and wore a tutu to accompany her.

As Hannah explores employment opportunities, Yuki will be with her to ensure she can maintain a level of independence that would not be possible without the help of a service dog. I have seen firsthand – through both Blitzen and Yuki – how life-changing a service dog can be not only for a child with epilepsy but for the entire family. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have Blitzen and Yuki, and for the unconditional love they have provided to Hannah.