Kelsey Chapman walks with a service dog she and her family would like to take home to meet her needs. Chapman has autism, ADHD and severe anxiety and would benefit from having a new furry best friend in her life. Submitted photos

Not everyone is born simply wondering as an infant when your next meal will be or when your diaper might be changed. Some are born with problems outside of their control, and years ago, that was the case with current 8-year-old Kelsey Chapman, who was born nearly five weeks early and was later diagnosed with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, autism and severe anxiety.

A service dog may change that, turning Kelsey’s situation around for the better.

Her mother, Sarah Bogey Chapman, noticed there was something different about Kelsey when she first brought her home from the hospital. Not only had her baby gone through the stress of not having fully developed lungs due to the early birth and not being able to breath on her own, but Kelsey also had significant trouble sleeping. Her mother noted that she cried constantly.

At the age of four and a half, Kelsey was officially diagnosed with autism. So far in her young life, she has had to deal with problems that “most of us wouldn’t think about,” Sarah said.

Being calm enough to fall asleep is a struggle. Walking into the grocery store with the stimulations of all the lights, products and people can be overwhelming. Making friends and going on play dates are tasks that seem nearly insurmountable.

“An autism service dog will be life-changing for Kelsey, and both her therapist and primary care physician agree,” Sarah said.

The family plans to purchase a dog from Ry-Con Service Dogs, a non-profit organization in Raleigh, North Carolina that trains service dogs specifically for those who have psychological disorders including autism and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Sarah, Kelsey and her two sisters–17-year-old Lilly and 5-year-old Harper — traveled in April to Ry-Con, and Kelsey was able to spend an hour and a half with one of the dogs. They walked and played together and even visited a local grocery store to see how a service dog would help Kelsey cope with noisy places.

Sarah saw a change during their interactions and believes that a service dog is what Kelsey needs to lower her anxiety. After the visit, the family went to a park where Sarah saw Kelsey interacting with other girls, something that never happens.

“I was like ‘Oh my gosh, is this the effect of the dog?'” Sarah said. “We knew this was going to be a perfect match for her.”

The whole family had traveled to see a dog to check if one would fit their family dynamic. Sarah believes it will, and she thinks that a newly trained puppy will be the way to get her daughter to come out of her shell and, more importantly, be at ease.

The dog they plan on getting is a 12-week-old briard and the brother of the dog they spent time with during their April visit. Kelsey has decided to name the puppy “Memphis.” The Chapman family has yet to meet their dog and plans to in future visits. If they are able to pay for him, Memphis will come home with his new family between December and March.

Memphis will cost $14,500 in total with other added expenditures including his $100 vest and $3,200 payments needed every couple months, and there are numerous ways the family plans on fundraising in the limited time they have. There is a fundraising portal open for donations now at gofundme.com/aservicedogforkelsey. Donations are also being collected in the “Cans for Kelsey” campaign in which cans and bottles can be dropped off at Southside Redemption. Two golf tournaments, which are slated for July 21 and Aug. 26 at the Rolling Acres golf course, are also in the works.

Ry-Con Service Dogs specialize in the training of the briard breed of dogs. These are of a sheep dog breed and have been renowned for their patience and contentment with families. Owner Mark Mathis specializes in accommodating kids with autism and uses his staff of 21 trainers to prepare briards for patients that need them.

“(Mathis) really gets kids with autism,” Sarah said.

Sarah said she did not get a good feel for the other agencies she researched and found a fit with Ry-Con because of their focus on handling neurological disorders.

“Her and that dog really bonded well,” Sarah added. “I feel like you have to do everything you can. (Memphis) is going to be her hugest source of comfort.”

She mentioned that some believe that getting a service dog is a longshot, but Sarah knows there are things she can do to help her daughter. Memphis will help out in many ways from providing touch therapy and sensing meltdowns before they happen to sleeping with her (it currently takes Kelsey nearly an hour every night to fall asleep without another warm body near) and helping her focus in areas with lots of stimulation.

“I think it’s a great fit,” Mathis said. “(A service dog) is a variable that makes itself noticed.”

What Mathis means by that is that sometimes autism is difficult to wrap one’s head around, as the one with autism, the close family and strangers can all be experiencing or sensing something different when a meltdown occurs. When a dog stops meltdowns and there is a decrease in incidents compared to the past, Mathis says that is a metric that can be measured.

Mathis likes to keep things to a science when pairing dogs with those who need them. He said the puppy selection from litters is not that critical but that the proper training is. Then, when a dog is matched with a kid (like when Kelsey was paired with a male dog that is more mellow than its high-energy female briard counterparts), the typical processes of autism can be essentially rewired.

Since the child is engaged with the dog in a setting such as a store or perhaps even school in the future, the autistic brain becomes less likely to make automatic decisions to run, scream or perform nervous ticks.

“It’s a beautiful thing. There’s a circuit closed there,” Mathis said.

Briards are suitable for this work; they are consistent in performance and happy in their work, adding to the quality of life to the right families.

“It’s really important a dog only has eyes for them,” Mathis said.

Memphis is planned to support Kelsey. She is a bright child who does well in school, is well-liked by her teacher and loves to learn new things. She likes to watch the news and study history. Her mother said she especially wants to visit Philadelphia to see the Declaration of Independence and the Liberty Bell. She is a fan of musicals and looks forward to living with her new furry companion.