BUCYRUS — A chance meeting led Shanna Nash to one of the greatest blessings of her life.
While Shanna was working at her job as a property manager in Crestline, she encountered a pregnant woman who confided in her that she could not keep her baby and wanted to find a good home for him.
“I just said that I would take him. God placed on my heart to give the baby a home,” said Shanna, mom to two adult children, grandma to one and now, mom to 23-month-old Grayson Nash.
Shannon was able to take baby Grayson home from the hospital.
“I am so blessed to have this child in my life,” Shannon said as Grayson played with his toys nearby.
Grayson recently was diagnosed with autism.
“I am constantly researching and trying to find the best ways possible to give him the life he deserves,” Shanna said.
A chance phone call led her to Dale Thompson, owner and trainer of Pound to Service Dogs (PtSD) in Richland County.
“I made a call to Dale for my daughter to see if he potty trains dogs,” Shanna said. “He does not do that but as we talked, I found out he trains service dogs and Grayson needs one.”
Shanna had located a place in California that will provide a service dog for free, but the person has to travel to California, stay in a hotel for two weeks for training then fly back with the dog.
“If an issue arises and the dog needs further training, you have to go back to California,” Shanna said. “By the time I would have paid for all of that, it would have been more than the $6,000 it will cost to get a service dog for Grayson locally.”
Thompson currently is training Jackson, a Labradoodle he adopted from the shelter in Upper Sandusky, for Grayson.
“The dog will be Grayson’s companion,” Thompson said. “He is being trained to alert if Grayson starts to wander off, keep him calm when he begins to get upset. He will constantly be with Grayson to keep him safe.”
Currently, Jackson is learning manners.
“We are in the beginning stages of the training process, so he is learning things like not to take toys that are not his. We want him to know the difference between his toys and Grayson’s,” Thompson said.
The training process takes several months.
Shanna said Grayson is a loner and has no siblings his age.
“It really is like he is an only child. He needs a companion, so this is perfect,” Shanna said.
Shanna said she is allergic to animal hair but because Jackson is part poodle, he does not shed.
“He is the perfect dog for our home,” she said.
As a single mom, Shanna works hard to ensure that all of Grayson’s needs are met.
“It is hard for me to ask for help, but I just don’t have the extra money for Grayson’s service dog, so my sister started a Go Fund Me account,” Shanna said.
Shanna also had a bake sale during Candlelight Christmas on Thursday and thanked the community for support in a Facebook post.
“Thank you to the Community for supporting our bake sale. I feel good tonight. I’m freezing, but my heart is warm,” Shanna said.
For more information and to donate, visit the GoFundMe page. For more information about Pounds to Service Dogs, visit its Facebook page.