The Buckles Family

It is official!  Unless something crazy happens with SOLOMON, he will become Erin's service dog!!  We can't tell you how excited we are to know, and it's even better to have a tentative time frame. 

We spent the most wonderful weekend in West Virginia a few weeks ago!  We went up to spend some time with everyone from Paws4People, SOLOMON, the inmates who train the dogs, and a few of our favorite families.  Erin was so excited to see her SOLOMON again!  She was so cute!  She actually sat up in the window seat in our hotel room, just waiting for Miss Kyria and Mr. Terry to drive up.    As soon as we saw their car, her eyes lit up and she had the biggest grin on her face.   Their reunion was a whirlwind moment before we had to leave for dinner with many of the amazing people we have met on this journey.  Along with Kyria, Heidi, and Terry, we were very excited to finally meet the Riley family.  It’s funny how we feel so close to them, but we only met in person for the first time on Friday night.  They are such an outstanding family, and they have done so much for us in the short time we’ve known them.  We were also blessed to meet another family whose son, Jack, will be receiving a service dog.  Jack is a wonderful little boy who has been through a great deal in his life, but he definitely doesn’t let it affect his attitude.  He is full of smiles, high fives, and great comments.  We had so much fun with Lisa, Eliot, and Jack throughout the weekend, and we’re so glad we had the opportunity to meet them!

Erin could hardly concentrate on eating her dinner on Friday, because she knew SOLOMON was just a few feet away, under the table.  She so badly wanted to sit by him, but we couldn’t let her sit on the floor!  Erin had a great time sitting by Madison, playing with the new bracelets they were given by her and Makayla  We want to thank Paws4People (Terry, Kyria, Heidi) for dinner.  It was a great evening, and we couldn’t be happier to be a part of this.  

All of the girls had a difficult time falling asleep that night, because they knew they would get to spend the next day with the dogs, and that was far too much excitement for them.  We had to be up early on Saturday morning, but I did not hear one complaint.  They were ready!  We started out in the women’s facility, and as we walked in, I saw a few familiar faces.  The girls were grinning from ear to ear as they saw all of the dogs, including some new golden retriever puppies scattered around the room.  We saw SOLOMON right away,  along with the woman who is training him.  She brought him over to sit by us, and we were able to talk to her for a few minutes before everything got started.  She told us how she talks about Erin all the time, saying her name at least 100 times per day.  She shows him her picture, and tells him about “his girl Erin”.  She is so very sweet, and you can see how proud she is for training Erin’s dog.  She thinks of Erin in everything she does, always considering her size and quiet voice.  She is training SOLOMON to respond to whispers.  We were extremely impressed!  Everyone introduced themselves and then I was asked to get up and tell our story.  I still get pretty emotional about our journey up to this point, and I have to apologize for bringing a few others to tears.  We are just so thankful for the many people who have helped us along the way, and we want them to know that they have changed our lives for the better.  The inmates who have chosen to be a part of the program are doing something that will affect Erin and Jack and Grace for the rest of their lives.  While they may have made some mistakes in the past, they are now a part of something so much bigger than themselves.  They are doing something so selfless and wonderful by training these dogs for children with disabilities and veterans returning from the war with PTSD.  They are not only improving the lives of the individuals receiving the dogs, but they are also easing the minds of those who love them.  

We were able to spend a great deal of time in the women’s facility, visiting with the women and the dogs.  There were many pictures being taken, and while I wasn’t allowed to have my camera, I’m hoping to have some photos to share with all of you very soon.  Everyone from Paws4People was trying to figure out what dog would be the best for our new friend Jack.  I think they were having a tough time, but they knew that one of the dogs would let them know at some point.  In the afternoon, we traveled over to the minimum security men’s facility.  We were their first visitors, as they haven’t been a part of the program for very long.  We could see that they were all very excited, and their faces just softened as they got their first glimpses of Erin and Jack.  We went through a shortened version of the morning session, and I didn’t even shed one tear as I told our story there.  I’m not sure if it was because I had gotten it out earlier, but my voice remained steady throughout.  While everyone was talking, Erin was wheeling around the outer perimeter of the room as fast as she could, only stopping to play with one of the dogs once in awhile.  Miss Candace and Miss Kyria wheeled Jack around so he could keep up with our speed demon!  They had a lot of fun.  Jack spent some more time with each dog, and they finally received the indicator they needed.  It was pretty amazing to watch!  Meanwhile, SOLOMON kept his eye on Erin as she wheeled around.  It was exciting to see their connection, and we know that he will be the perfect dog for her.  

I have to tell you that Erin is a completely different little girl when she is around the dogs.  Gone is the shy, quiet girl who won’t speak to anyone but us.  She has so much confidence around these amazing animals that she will actually approach their trainers and speak to them.  She makes her way around the room, going from dog to dog, person to person, taking pictures with people and smiling like they were her best friends.  It’s a beautiful transformation that is amazing to watch.

After our visit at the prison, we had to say goodbye to our friends from North Carolina as well as SOLOMON.  They were taking him down there with them to do some important training out in public each day.  He will spend time in the schools, malls, banks, restaurants, etc to make sure he is ready to be with a family.  SOLOMON will be staying with Miss Candace and will be trained by Miss Karen.  We know he is in the very best hands, and we can’t wait to see how amazing he is after he returns.  Miss Candace promised many photos, and Miss Karen said she would send updates, so we will share those with you as we get them.  

As if our day wasn’t exciting enough, we were invited over to the Meek’s house for dinner on Saturday evening.  I can’t even begin to explain how wonderful this family is, and we want to thank them for inviting us.  Their daughter Grace also had a stroke to her spinal cord, so we feel especially close to them.  They understand what we go through on a daily basis.  They know the absolute blessings, and they feel the heartaches.  Grace just had surgery last week and arrived home Friday evening, so we couldn’t believe they were up for that many visitors on Saturday.  We had a fantastic time!  All of the kids played together while the adults had some time to talk.  I can’t tell you how nice that was!!!!  

Our weekend was an absolute success, and we were so happy we went.  We are going to kick our fundraising into high gear to help offset the costs of training and caring for SOLOMON.  Many of you have had questions about the cost of a service dog, and here it is in a nutshell: It will cost about $32,000 to fully train SOLOMON.  Paws4People does not require us to pay anything to receive the dog, but we want to raise as much as we can for them.  They are a non-profit organization, and they rely on donations to get them through.  They will be providing Erin with a companion, a helper, a best friend, that will affect her for the rest of her life.  There is no way to put a price on that.  For those of you who have donated in the past, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  You are helping to fulfill the dreams of a courageous young girl works hard each day just to be independent. 

Here are the girls with ELLIE.  She is a service dog who will be graduating this summer and going to live with a little girl named Amanda.  The girls were so excited to see her, and they really didn't want her to leave.

I decided to create a page for news on Erin's service dog.  We really need to jump into fundraising for her dog, and I'm truly hoping people will be able to help us out.  If you have any ideas for different fundraisers or would like to help in any way, please contact us at: bucklestwins@aol.com 

I am going to try to approach Jade and Erin's school to see if we can set up a penny drive, which will be fun for the kids.  They will actually get to see the fruit of their labor, as Erin should have her dog sometime during the next school year. 

You can now check out Erin's announcement on the Paws4People website:  http://www.paws4vets.org/p4v_placement_directory?iid=5

You can also follow the link that says, "Help Support Erin,  Click Here"  It will take you to a page that has fundraisers already set up, as well as a place to make donations directly to Paws4People in Erin's name. 

We talk about Erin's service dog every day.  She is so excited to be receiving one, and she can't wait for the day when she can bring the dog home.  We still don't know which dog Erin is getting, but they are all fantastic.  Erin is absolutely blessed to have this opportunity, and we know the dog is going to help her is so many important ways.  Not only will it be able to help her with every day tasks, so she won't have to ask us for help, but it will also take the attention away from her chair/other equipment and allow children to approach her without fear.  We've seen what these dogs can do already, and we are just so thankful that we have found Paws4People!