Community responds to replace boy’s service dog

KNIK — While Wyatt Reinhart continues to grieve following the death of his around-the-clock companion, the 8-year-old special needs boy and his family are making new friends.

Wyatt suffers from symptoms that include displaying autistic tendencies and has a hard time coping with situations outside his comfort zone. That’s where Abby came in. An 18-month-old English bulldog trained as a service animal, she helped Wyatt deal with the stress and was a constant friend.

Abby was one of the main reasons Wyatt has handled the family’s move to the Valley from the Lower 48 at Christmastime, mother Judy Reinhart said. That’s why Wyatt and the family were near panic when Abby went missing the afternoon of May 23, and why they were devastated June 1 when a neighbor found the dog’s body in a nearby lake.

At a time when the family was at its lowest — in a new place with little money and a special needs child without his service animal — the community came out in force to support a new neighbor, Judy said. Immediately, people she had never met were out looking for Abby while others donated funds for a reward incase the animal had been stolen, as was first suspected.

That’s when April Merchant stepped up. A Valley resident who uses a service dog herself, Merchant is the president and founder of Midnight Sun Service Dogs, a nonprofit organization that matches families in need with trained service animals. When she heard Wyatt’s story, she immediately contacted Judy.

“I know what I would feel like if my service dog was missing,” Merchant said. “We didn’t even give it a second thought. As soon as we saw your story (in the Frontiersman) we just reached out to them. That’s what community is about.”

Meet Jack

Less than a month after Abby was found dead, Wyatt met Jack, an 18-month-old Labradoodle that’s being trained specially for him. Although it typically takes about two years to fully train a service dog, the process is being accelerated with Jack to pair the two together as soon as possible, Merchant said.

Although Wyatt can now comprehend Abby is gone and isn’t coming back, he still has nightmares related to her disappearance, Judy said, adding that seeing him with Jack gives her hope.

“His spirits definitely seem to be up a little bit,” she said. “We had some major ups and downs when they found Abby and we took her up to the crematorium. He thought they were going to fix her and we’d bring her home.”

When he sees Jack for training — the dog lives with his local trainer in the Valley right now — “He just lights up,” Judy said. “He talks constantly, when before he didn’t talk or anything. He just sat. I thought he was retreating back into himself, but when he’s with that dog, he’s trying to focus, which he hasn’t been doing since this all happened.”

Outpouring

of kindness

Along with being thankful to Merchant and Midnight Sun Service Dogs, Judy said she’s been overwhelmed by the public response to her family’s story. Already financially struggling — she begins her new job today — the family had lived in the Valley a few months when Abby went missing.

That didn’t seem to matter, Judy said.

“It’s just amazing the response we had,” she said. “I would not have been able to get through this without that help. I don’t even start my new job until July 6. I was a substitute teacher, so when school quit, so did my income.”

Even with a job, it would’ve been financially impossible to replace Abby, Judy said, as a typical trained service dog costs thousands of dollars.

“If it wasn’t for the help from the dog people and April, she was so willing to help and work with the dog,” she said. “I hear they’re getting donations for the training. The community was out helping to look, doing fundraisers, it’s just amazing. We just feel blessed to have moved into a community that is as caring as this community is. Sometimes it’s almost hard word-wise to express just how grateful I am.”

Wyatt will continue to train with Jack for a couple more months and has also spent some time with Merchant training on weekends. He also is adjusting to leaving the dog with the trainer.

“The first time he saw Jack, he thought he was coming home,” Judy said. “And, of course, that was a huge blowup. He was very mad, very upset. He just misses having that comfort.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.