Fundraiser Helps CCHS Senior Get a Service Dog

Fallon Theatre hosted screenings of “A Dog’s Purpose” on Sept. 5 and 6. These screenings were a special community fundraiser for Alex McBride, a local youth who needs a service dog to alert him to an impending seizure.

Alex is a 17-year-old Churchill County High School senior who was diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND) and autism spectrum disorder earlier this spring. Due to this, Alex suffers from debilitating seizures that can come on when he is exposed to too much emotional stimulation, said his father, Aaron McBride, pastor at Agape Church School and Victory Baptist Church. These emotions can be from laughing too hard, anger, excitement, being suddenly surprised, or any typical emotion someone would encounter during a normal day.

The service dog would help recognize these signs before Alex’s brain does. The hope is that, over time, this will help Alex navigate through these seizures better. The first time Alex experienced this onset, he passed out at a cross-country race. He was rushed to Renown Hospital, where he stayed for three days, then was transferred to the University of Utah Primary Children’s Hospital. During an episode, his brain forgets its primary functions. Then, slowly, the brain regains its basic functions, much like a computer rebooting, McBride stated.

Alex’s parents, Aaron and Renee, were very willing to go the service-dog route. Then reality set in. A fully trained service dog costs about $30,000, and the recipient never really owns the dog. Aaron was told about a young woman who works at the Fallon Animal Control Shelter, Alyssa Grondin.

Alyssa also owns Silver Desert K9 Training and is a licensed obedience and advanced obedience dog trainer. She picked out several dogs she thought might work, and then it was up to Alex and each dog to see whether they had a connection. The dog that connected with Alex was a four-month-old mixed-breed puppy. Letty is Alex’s new service dog in training and has begun obedience training. Under Alyssa's guidance, Letty will advance through obedience training at her pace.

Aaron has set up a QR code that links directly to his GoFundMe page to help with the costs of training Alex’s service dog. “Every bit helps,” Aaron said, “and my family appreciates our community’s generosity in supporting Alex!”