Young Wheaton Resident Trains With Guide Dog

In August 2009, Wheaton resident Megan Miller Meese noticed her son Christian was having trouble staying stable while moving.

"[He] would not go down stairs without assistance," she said.

Christian, 8 years old, has a neurological condition that makes him unsteady on his feet and causes tremors.

Christian’s doctors suggested that a service dog could help him maintain balance while standing and walking and alert others to his oncoming tremors. Megan found Amazing Tails, LLC where she and Christian met Trevor, a brown Labradoodle, last December.

During their first visit, Megan said that Trevor was very patient with Christian.

"They seemed to gel and form a bond in the few hours they were together.”

Trevor is being trained by Amazing Tails now and will be ready to join Christian permanently in April.

The American Legion Post in Wheaton will host a benefit on Saturday, March 12 from 4 to 8 p.m. to help raise the $7,000 needed for Trevor’s medical, boarding, feeding, and training costs. Megan, a retired Army Master Sergeant and Iraq War veteran, who served in Iraq from 2004 to 2005, became a member of the American Legion upon her return.

The benefit includes live music, a DJ, buffet-style dinner, and a one-hour open bar for $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

For Christian, however, the most exciting part of the day will be a brief visit with Trevor, his mother said.