Testimonials

July 25, 2009 -

I just thought that I would write you this letter about Levi and David. David reached another milestone this summer, by going on his first camping trip. David, Levi and I went to Point Beach State park at the end of June. We camped in our tent, cooked meals over an open fire, went swimming, did some sightseeing, and attended a fish boil. All of these activities would have been either impossible or very difficult without Levi.

First let’s set the stage by describing the location and some of its traditions. Fish Creek is a tourist town located on a peninsula that juts out into Lake Michigan. It’s a quaint little town nestled into rocky bluffs overlooking the lake. Its home to many popular bed and breakfast establishments, marinas, shops, and restaurants. Prior to tourism, the primary economic activities where dominated by commercial fishing and agriculture, namely cherry orchards.

In fact, Fish Creek is famous for its cherry pies. It’s also famous for a meal consisting of white fish, potatoes, and onions boiled in a large black pot over an open fire. Commonly referred to as a fish boil. Typically prior to sitting down to eat, you attend the boil where the Boil Master explains the process while he adds ingredients, to the pot. Often, while the meal is cooking, the locals sing songs in Swedish. It was the Swedes who originally settled this area of Wisconsin. Once cooking is complete, the process is finished by removing the fish oil that collects on the surface of the water by causing the water to boil over. This is accomplished throwing a flammable liquid onto the fire causing the flames to flare up. It’s quite an impressive sight and the finally of the evening. The top of the water boils over removing the strong fish oils leaving a tasty, yet boney fish for you to eat. Everyone then leaves the cooking area and returns to the restaurant, where the fish, potatoes and onions are served with melted butter, followed by Cherry pie for desert.

Well, this not fast food. You wait for your meal. Waiting is difficult for David. Prior to Levi he would become anxious pleading for the wait staff to “go in here”, meaning the kitchen, bring out the food. This very common at dinner, but not so much at lunch. I chalk this up to the mysteries of autism. Anyhow David waited patiently while the meal cooked and he watched the boil over. David likes fish, however, he was not fond of the white fish, though but he did like the cherry pie.

Levi, however, just stole the show. Everyone just swooned over him, both adults and little children. In fact, he was the hit of Fish Creek that weekend. Everywhere we went the constant refrain was “ look at that beautiful dog!”

The accolades are well deserved. Without Levi I could not have gone camping alone with David. David remained calm while I set up the tent. He stayed in camp while I chopped kindling for the fire and cooked the meals. He also remained in the tent during the night, and did not wander off.

Lastly, Levi was a great help when we went swimming at the beach. David will often wander off in his own world mesmerized by his surroundings. While in this state, he is oblivious to any verbal instructions. David did this several times while wading far out into the shallow bay where we were swimming. Rather than having to chase after him to get his attention, I simply told Levi to “go to David!” Levi, would then eagerly and energetically swim out to David and bump into him. This would get David’s attention. De would then listen to me and follow my verbal instructions to come back in to a safe distance. Levi would then, reluctantly, leave the water and come back to me.

All in all the weekend was a success. This was something that I would never do without Levi’s help. All three of us had a great time and I am looking forward to many more trips in the future.

Tiffany, I hope you enjoyed reading this little story. Thank you very much for brining Levi into our lives.

July 6, 2009 -

I wanted to let you know some great news. Last week I (mom) was out of
town, and one evening David had a meltdown. Michael,(aka Miley)all on her
own walked up to David, climbed in his lap, gave him kisses, hugs, and
snuggles until David calmed down!!!! Last night, I looked in their room to
check on them, and Michael (Miley) was laying on David's bed with him (which
is normal now).

When Michael saw me, she looked at me but did not move (which is not
normal). I am very excited about what I am seeing.

Thank you so much!

February 15, 2009 -

Things are going much better at school. Reggie seems to be doing a great job with Quincy and has him well in hand. Jake is also developing much more of a team relationship with Quincy, and I've been able to get the district personnel to let up on this idea that Reggie must lead them everywhere. Now that Jake and Quincy are moving through the classroom on their own, things are much smoother. Quincy still lets the puppy come out first thing when we get there and after recess, but we are working him through it.

The JCC pick up at the end of the day is going better too. I bring a toy each day that he can chew on for a few minutes and then carry out. He was still pulling on the way out the door - Jake solved this yesterday by leading him out on his own until we got outside. This worked much better again today, and once outside Quincy calmly walks to the car.

Relationship wise they continue to develop. Jake started emulating Quincy nips with people, but we cracked down hard and seemed to get past that. Jake is seeking more oral input and likes pressure on his chin at times. Quincy is not happy when Jake tries to press his chin into Quincy. Quincy will use a growly noise or bark to tell Jake when he doesn't like something. Likewise, Jake is learning to use his words with Quincy when Quincy is being too rough. Best of all is how comfortable Jake is with Quincy - giving him kisses, pets and hugs. He doesn't even mind when Quincy climbs all over him. We make sure Quincy gets breaks, but he rarely wants to be out of site of Jake, even when he wants a break.

Best of all, Jake is sleeping through the night most nights. We did start him on an OCD medication that seems to be reducing anxiety and this may be helping, but I think the presence of Quincy in the room is a big part of it.

Still trying to work on the hand stim issue….little by little.

Cathy Thompson, 12-13-07 -

The dawn of a new day. My story starts like many others do, I guess, I found myself one day going down a road I had never imagined for myself. I was turning 60 and had several years with some new health problems. Most of my life I had been blessed with good health, just your run of the mill problems we all face from time to time. But things started to change in my 50's. And no one seemed to have any answers for me. God in His mercy brought me through cervical cancer, thyroid problems, etc; but the one unresolved problem kept my round of Dr.'s visits and tests going. Finally the day arrived after one of those usually unresolved visits came the answer...Parkinson's. Ok, after long hours of research,
and tons of questions, most of which go unresolved until time goes by, I realize this is one of those things I had little, if no, control over. After my mind finally got the idea...this one is not going away, the only thing I knew for sure was my life was going to be forever changed.

The one bright spot in my life was a daughter who had always stuck by me through thick and thin. I was living in N.M. at the time and she always knew of my great love for dogs, and found their was an organization in that state which trainees service dogs for people like myself. I spent seven months of filling out forms, and rounds of visits to a wonderful group of people helping me find the right companion for me. But before the final match could
be made that same superior daughter invited me to come and live with her and her family in TN.

While still in N.M. she sent me the name of a group of people here in TN. that would do the same thing for me here. After one phone call to Wilderwood, and speaking with their president and owner, Tiffany Danyer, I found out that my dreams of not loosing my independence did not have to come to an end. Not only that she felt sure, after reviewing my paper work, she had someone who filled all my requirements, he just needed to be find tuned for my special needs.

I am speaking of my new companion in this life, my service dog. A silly,loving, friendly... now two year old black lab. We are now
starting down a "Great" new life together. He is already giving me more then I have given him. The future does not now hold all those dark little corners that had become my future. With him by my side we face "that bright new day". We may stumble along the way, but we have one another to look to.

Mary S., Maryville, TN -

“Ben” is my daughter's service dog from Wilderwood. The changes in her life since acquiring Ben, are invaluable. The interaction between these two has given Noelle new incentive to work at overcoming the speech impediment and people are noticing that she's become more confident with verbalizing in just a short time. She is learning how to handle the blessing of making new friends through “team work” with Ben almost every time she goes out of the house. Tiffany Denyer's very unusual mix of patience, skill, compassion, and an amazing insight into the unspoken needs of the service dog AND the individual with neurological impairment, has been the key to Noelle having a whole new world open up with Ben as her “other half”.

John Stiles, Louisville, TN -

I'd like to comment on the remarkable work done by Wilderwood Lead Dogs of Blount County, Tennessee. A couple of years ago I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Among the problems created by the disease are a tendency to fall, and the inability of the patient to carry out certain maneuvers. It was during the early stages that a friend gave me a book entitled “Angel by My Side.” It is the true story of a man with a heart condition whose life is turned around by the services of a “service” dog. As a longtime dog lover, I decided to try and train one of my border collies for the task. Abby, a 6-year-old female, is my Frisbee competition dog. She knows basic obedience and is open to learning new things. I decided Abby would become a “working” rather than “playing” dog. My wife and I read articles on the Internet about how to train a service dog. Abby was perplexed by our new commands. We were not getting anywhere. A dog trainer gave me a brochure about Wilderwood, and added she knew nothing about the organization. We contacted Tiffany Denyer, director, who explained her training program. She added she is a psychiatric nurse, and deals with service dogs for people “with problems of the brain.” Parkinson's is such a problem. Ms. Denyer came to our home and explained the program. She was patient and thorough, and not put off by our many questions. We signed up for a month-long plan, with training in our home two days a week. Commands we had never learned to teach, Ms. Denyer taught in minutes. Furthermore, she had the insight to teach Abby commands that benefited my particular problem. To me that action was critical. Another trainer could have taught Abby to “go get the phone,” but they would not have understood my specific needs. We plan to continue Abby's (and our) training in the near future. In one month Abby learned to pick up dropped objects (keys, etc.), open and close doors, bring me the phone, and alert my wife that I had fallen. In addition she taught us to “think like a dog,” rather than try and change Abby to a human's way of thinking.

Letter from Loran Moyers -

Hello everyone, I am the Assistant Trainer and Kennel manager for Wilderwood Service Dogs.

I have debilitating arthritis in all my joints and at times I feel more than twice my age. Getting up and down and facing my day is a challenge and sometimes very depressing. About three years ago, I rescued a beautiful, big Golden Retriever named Hope. I knew immediately she was a working girl in the raw, so I set out training her. That was the beginning of Hope’s rescue and training. I had trained a few hearing assist canines in the early seventies and had also been working with a blind woman who had a great service dog, and together we started basic training classes at the YMCA for fun. If she could train her own service animal I thought, then so could I. I went on line and started researching everything that I could find on service dogs; all federal and state requirements, training schools, everything! Meanwhile, my dog Hope filled my days with love and joy; she could make the pain melt into the background with her loving eyes and bounce. With the help I needed getting up and down and walking steps, I thought a service dog would be so much nicer than a walker or a lift chair. I am in my early fifties and do not wish to look quite as old as I feel. Hope was the answer! She learned so quickly and was always ready for whatever the day brought. She learned to brace and pull me up as though she knew that was her sole reason to be here was just for me. My dog Hope was and is emotionally uplifting. I knew then that the bond between a service dog and their handler could not be beat or duplicated by anything on earth.

Dogs, Dogs, Dogs! They know if you do not feel well and they will give you a nuzzle and try their best to cheer you up. Dogs know when you have a pain and will lick you to make you better. If you are blue and down, they will do anything they can think of to cheer you up, their love is unconditional and eternal. Dogs will love you until the day they die.

I was introduced to Tiffany and Wilderwood Service Dogs through a mutual friend. What a great opportunity awaiting me to fulfill my passion. A company that rescues dogs, works with at risk youths, and places the dogs with wonderful people who, like me, have disabilities! I went through Wilderwood orientation and started helping her train the service animals that were donated to Wilderwood Service Dogs. I discovered that I could train even if I felt bad, so my journey began with Wilderwood Service Dogs. Now Wilderwood Service Dogs is a growing company and I am part of the team. We use Hope as a personal representative for our company. Hope loves to get out with people and drum up support for this cause.

Now I am going to be on site all the time with the kennels and all the babies who will start the journey of becoming a service partner for a very wonderful person. Our dogs will learn to be all they can be for that person, helping the clients to be all they can be. I cannot think of a better job for our dogs or myself.

So when you see my big red girl, Hope, and me out in public, we are showing the world we are a team. Hope and I want everyone’s support so that more teams can go out and enjoy their lives, their job, their play, and their world.

Check out the rest of our web site and when you see our donate button, let God’s love show through you and your ability to help this wonderful program.

Letter from the President -

Hello everyone, my name is Tiffany and I'm the president of Wilderwood. This organization was born out of dreams, sweat and tears, and I'm proud to be a part of it. We opened our doors in Maryville, TN on August 1st 2005. We are looking forward to starting our first High School program in the spring of 2006. In a few short months we have built our kennels and office, began training our first service dogs and currently have several contracts with clients with disabilities. We are finishing up our first fundraiser and are having a Christmas Party December 9th. Feewww!

I am a psychiatric nurse by trade and have been involved in psych care and nursing for 11 years. I have seen a lot of treatment modalities in that time. I have given a lot of medication. I deal daily with brain trauma, autism, emotional illness, dementia, and Alzheimer. I have also been involved with dogs since childhood. I have trained dogs in obedience, animal assisted therapy and service dog work. Wilderwood is an outgrowth of those life experiences.

In all my experience I have never seen anything, and I can safely say ANYTHING that has been more therapeutic than animal/human interaction. What happens to a person's soul and then their perception in the presence of a beloved animal is far reaching. That relationship impacts a person's life more than a therapist, medicine, treatment programs or all of them combined, in that reality, Wilderwood finds its passion.

Our dogs help individuals gain independence (emotional and physical). Our dogs provide unconditional love and support. They assist in all facets of life such as: retrieval of anything (including meds), opening doors, turning on lights, support during a crisis, able to call for emergency assistance and much more. We are excited to be a part of something so wonderful.

Wilderwood also has an at-risk teen outreach program. We teach teens to train service dogs! It is a remarkable program and the kids and dogs love it. We are happy to be here, happy you came to visit our site and are expectant of great things for and from our organization. Continue to visit us for ongoing updates and new client testimonials on this page. Thank you and have a great day.