Stories about people helping parents and kids make our day. If you follow the Baby Rabies page on Facebook, you’ve likely seen us using the hashtag #AGoodDayInTheVillage when we share a post that hits us in the heart. Which is exactly what this post is about to do.
Today we’re sharing a story from Taylor Wheeler, who was given an incredible gift by a complete stranger- a gift that is life-changing to say the least! Keep reading to find out what happened, in Taylor’s words…
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We found out at 20 weeks pregnant that Treg would be born with trisomy 21 (more commonly known as down syndrome) and we were extremely shocked to say the least. I was only 23, and I believed the common misconceptions about having a child with down syndrome.
But when Treg arrived, the grieving immediately subsided and my motherly instinct took over. I was so in love with our sweet boy, and that extra chromosome of his has proven to be made up of the good stuff, you know- baby giggles, Christmas spirit, pure magic… all wrapped in one little extra chromie placed in my cute homie!
Having down syndrome hasn’t slowed my little guy down a bit! He is a WILD man!! He’s always making mad dashes away from me because he thinks it’s silly, but it’s also a little scary!
Children with down syndrome are so trusting, they always see the good in people, and it’s pretty common for children with down syndrome to just leave the house- little escape artists! This combination pretty much terrified me, so after long discussions we decided to get Treg a service dog!
We had heard of lots of children with down syndrome having service dogs for companionship, but for those times when he tries to stealthily leave the house, his dog could be trained to help notify me of the situation.
We researched so many breeds and narrowed it down to two, one being English Mastiffs.
I joined a private English Mastiff page on Facebook, posted a picture of my son, and asked how the dogs were with children, and if anyone had successfully trained and had an English Mastiff as a service dog. *Cue hundreds of replies and comments!* I was sold reading through the comments, so many English Mastiff’s were being used as service dogs for special needs children. They are loyal, kind, loving, and gentle, it sounded like a match made in heaven for my son.
Then, as I was reading through the comments I stopped dead in my tracks. A stranger, Elle Harris, posted that her English Mastiffs were expecting puppies around Christmas and she would love to DONATE a puppy to us.
You have to understand, English mastiffs are NOT cheap dogs by any means- for a pure bred we were looking at a price tag around $2,000 and upward. This was quite the gift a complete stranger wanted to give my son!
I messaged her, weary if she was being serious and she responded immediately, with such sweet words about Tregs picture, and about her English Mastiffs. I was ecstatic! She sent me updates along the way until our puppy Legend was old enough to be sent to us.
Finally, the day came for Treg and Legend to meet! It wasn’t exactly love at first site, as I’d imagined it would be- Legend was all about the puppy kisses and Treg was initially terrified. However, after only two days of bonding, the pair are fast friends, thick as thieves! It’s now become a contest between the two as to who gives the most slobbery kisses! Treg shares his toys… and Legend shares his dog bed. 😉
We are so happy that Treg has a best friend for life and someone who will always protect him.
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Thank you so much again to Taylor for sharing her story! Treg and Legend are the sweetest duo! We can wait to see photos of them growing up side by side! You can follow them on Instagram at @TheHouseOfWheeler.
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