Paws for Cayleb

Goodbye my Sweet Girl

2025-04-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

On April 7th, 2025, we said goodbye to our sweet Ivy. Here is the post I made on one of her last days with us.

There will never be enough words to describe how Ivy changed Cayleb’s life. She brought him safety, calm during even the most difficult transitions, and gave him something no one else could—an identity that was not defined by his disability. With Ivy by his side, Cayleb was no longer just the kid who struggled; he was the kid with the incredible service dog. She helped him navigate his world with confidence and dignity, offering him comfort, stability, and the freedom to just be himself.

At the dog park, Ivy would find the biggest stick she could carry and tempt another dog to chase her—she was rarely caught. She loved walks, car rides, the cottage, and simply being wherever her people were. True to her Lab nature, she also loved sneaking food—her very first night with us, she stole an entire loaf of bread from the counter.

She loved being in the sun and spending time with Grandpa—probably her favourite person ever—who always seemed to have a treat tucked away in his pocket and an impressive track record of bending the rules. Even though I minded, Ivy never did. In fact, she might have encouraged it.

I’ll never be able to fully express my gratitude to the village who brought Ivy into our lives.

She was lovingly raised by Josie and Misha Winterfield and their family, who devoted 18 months of love, patience, and dedication to her early training. From there, she moved on to advanced training with the incredible team at National Service Dogs—Cathy, Vicki, Jillian, Tamara, and Katrina—who helped shape her into the calm, reliable, heroic dog she became. Just after her second birthday, Ivy came home to us.

My coworkers, friends, and family helped us raise over $27,000 for Ivy’s training. The staff at Cayleb’s schools went above and beyond—learning how to work with Ivy, supporting Cayleb, and loving her deeply. One of them even named their family dog after Ivy. So many people supported Paws for Cayleb, donating generously and helping organize and run fundraisers. Your efforts created real change.

Ozzy, Ivy’s absolute best doggy friend, met her when he was just eight weeks old. Lucky quickly became her eager student, and Finneas is trying his best too. Ivy’s impact on every dog she met was just as profound as it was on the people around her.

B and H—you had the hardest time ignoring Ivy so that she would bond with Cayleb. I cannot imagine how difficult it was for two young kiddos to have a dog in the home that they weren’t allowed to interact with. Such a huge and unfair sacrifice. Of course, you both fell in love with Ivy anyway. H often extended her five-minute per day cuddles and took on the baths later on. B, who started walking Ivy from age 12, always respected the bond she had with Cayleb.

Now, the time has come to say goodbye.

Ivy is 13 and a half. It’s not fair that dogs live such short lives. I so badly want to keep her here. My heart is breaking as I watch her struggle this past week—clearly in pain.

Oh, Ivy. You’ll always have my heart. You are, and always will be, my biggest hero. I’m so sorry you’re hurting—I can see it in your eyes. I know how frustrated you are that you can’t get up anymore, that you can’t press your head into Dad’s hand for your favourite head rubs. I love you, Ivy. I will be forever grateful for everything you gave Cayleb—for everything you gave all of us. Even Cinnamon, who doesn’t like anyone, will miss you.

When I told a friend we had to say goodbye, he said, “We don’t deserve dogs.”

He’s right. We truly didn’t deserve you.

One of my favourite Ivy stories happened during an RV trip to the Bay of Fundy. While we were visiting at low tide, Ivy somehow managed to sneak out unnoticed—and made a break for the muck that would usually be at the bottom of the ocean. She was absolutely thrilled with herself, proudly trotting back to me when called, reeking of rotten fish and radiating joy. Ivy, however, was not as pleased with the six baths that followed. Nor was she a fan of being tied up outside the camper at every remaining campsite while the rest of us ate dinner inside.

PAT

2014-11-17T12:26:00.001-08:00

Ivy made me so proud today! Showing off for NSD trainer Amy, Ivy behaved as though we completed advanced training yesterday! Ivy passed her public access test with flying colours! Way to go Ivy!

Ivy at the park, burning off energy before her big test!

Birthday cards for Ivy

2014-10-11T07:30:00.001-07:00

Ivy and Cayleb's classmates made birthday cards for Ivy!

First day of school

2014-09-05T08:36:00.001-07:00

I have to admit that when I first learned a service dog was an option for Cayleb I was sceptical! 'Right, a busy mother of three, one of whom has autism and takes off all the time with no regard to danger, is going to be able to handle a dog' I thought. 'Just what we need, more responsibility'.

Everything about having Ivy couldn't be further from my original thoughts. What a difference she has made in Cayleb's life, in our lives!

A child who is on his own agenda, ready to take off without notice is now safely secured to his dog. Going out in public is no longer the complete nightmare of losing my child.

Knowing Cayleb is attached to Ivy and that be is safe is a piece if mind that is priceless. Having his best friend Ivy at Cayleb's side when he is upset or scared gives Cayleb a tool to learn how to calm himself down.

Today Ivy is training at Cayleb's school with the EAs in his class. She will now be a familiar face in the halls opening new opportunities and offering Cayleb independence.

Today Cayleb has his best friend at his side and today I will give Ivy a big hug, holding back tears as I say thank you to the dog who has changed Cayleb's world.

$25,730

2014-09-02T07:36:00.002-07:00

Another $105.21 from Tomken Chocolate Bars! We are now at $25,730!
So close!!

It's Ivy and Cayleb's BIG DAY!!

2014-07-11T09:02:00.001-07:00

Nearly three years has past since that night I sat at my work computer and filled out the National Service Dog application form. Today has finally arrived, today Ivy is training at ErinOak with Cayleb!

It was really weird for Ivy and me when I handed her leash over to NSD trainer Vicki and said goodbye. Ivy looked utterly confused that I was not taking her back home with me after dropping off Cayleb.

Cayleb was acting ridiculously excited this morning on our way to ErinOak-so happy that his best friend will be at his side 24/7 from now on.

Annual Bottle Drive

2014-07-09T15:55:00.001-07:00

The annual Paws for Cayleb bottle drive has begun!

Last year we collected just over $250 collecting empties.

This year we are already off to a good start! Do you think we can match last year's efforts or surpass them?

WPBT

2014-06-27T13:23:00.001-07:00

Back in the fall, Bryceson's class choose Paws for Cayleb and WWF as the two charities for which their class buisness would work to raise money. The buisness was named WPBT (World, Paws, Bazaar, Theatre).

Through a TON of hard work including running at school events (hot chocolate & books cafe, raffle and a family fun movie night) as well as approaching local buisnesses WPBT well surpassed my expectations.

Not only did they raise just over $915 for Paws for Cayleb, but they did it with excitement, energy and a contagious passion that only 8-10 year olds can spread. The support our family felt from Mrs. Belford, her students and the community was nothing short if heart warming.

I am thrilled, as a parent, that my son was involved in such an amazing class project while experiencing what true community is all about!

Grade 1!!

2014-06-18T10:15:00.001-07:00

I just got the official word that Ivy will start grade 1 with Cayleb in September!!!

Ivy will be going to ErinOak first mid July and will help make Cayleb's transition to full time school a smooth one.

$5,300

2014-06-17T14:07:00.001-07:00

Can you believe we only have $5,300 left to raise to reach our goal of $30K? I can't!

Just in time to help Costco has brought back their ice cream bars, so Tomken station will be stocked ASAP!!!

Calling All Golfers!

2014-05-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

(From Eric, who hacked Kaley's password to post this!)

During our NSD training week last October (was it really that long ago?!?!), Kales and I met and worked with Justin and Nikole, whose son Lincoln received NSD Juno (pictured above).

They will be hosting a day of golfing on Saturday July 26, 2014 at Victoria Park Valley Golf Club in Guelph. For $125, you get:

18 holes of golf
Cart
Dinner
Prizes!!

If you're not a golfer, but would still like to PAR-take in some of the fun, $40 will let you join FORE! dinner (terrible puns, I'm sorry. But I had to take a SWING at it).

All proceeds will be going to National Service Dogs. You can find more info here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/295541897288974/

They've requested RSVPs by June 1st, so please support them in what's sure to be a great day!

April 2 - Autism Awareness Day!

2014-04-02T09:09:00.001-07:00

Cayleb's school held an assembly today in honour of Autism Awareness and their students who live the struggle that is autism. Siblings of students with autism, and autistic students read letters they wrote describing autism in this completely student lead assembly. I felt myself holding back tears several times as the familiarity of their words hit home.

The best part of the assembly for me, was seeing the bond Cayleb and Ivy have built become extremely obvious. Cayleb's teacher had told Cayleb that Mommy, Hermyonie and Ivy were coming to the assembly. Cayleb's eyes lit up the second he found Ivy. He walked over to her, gave her a big hug and sat beside her. His hands did not leaver her once, nor did his smile leave his face even for one moment. Ivy's tail wagged as she gave Cayleb kisses and visited without command. It melted my heart to see these kindred spirits enjoy each other's company.

I am SO looking forward to the day Ivy becomes a student at MSB!

Egg Hunt for Dogs

2014-03-23T10:45:00.001-07:00

Join our team and help raise money for Paws for Cayleb all while having fun!

Egg Hunt

2014-03-13T20:22:00.004-07:00

Ivy and Cayleb are participating in National Service Dogs' annual

Egg Hunt for Dogs!

Will you help them raise money for Paws for Cayleb?

Grade 3/4 Business

2014-02-28T13:07:00.000-08:00

The grade 3/4 Gifted Class at Sam Sherratt has chosen Paws for Cayleb as one of the two charities that their class business will be fund raising for! What an honour!!!

As their first business endeavour, they will be selling hot chocolate during their nutrition break!

Ivy's first Christmas as a Jevnikar

2014-02-10T10:32:00.002-08:00

Just Ivy

2014-02-10T09:45:00.002-08:00

...and her family.

Settling In

2014-01-12T08:34:00.002-08:00

My apologies for the lack of updates recently. I know you are all eager to know how the bond between Ivy and Cayleb is growing. We moved to Acton from Milton in November and due to some technical difficulties, have yet to have internet access at home. This makes sharing photos difficult. I promise to bombard the blog once we do in fact internet hooked up!

In the meantime, we have had Ivy at home for almost 3 months now and things are going well. Ivy and Cayleb's bond is growing. Of course we are still learning and working on things with Ivy. One issue that has come up, is that Cayleb has been over feeding Ivy on occasion, which has led to a weight gain. Now that I figured out why Ivy has been putting on weight, we are working towards getting her back to her optimum weight.

Ivy enjoys greeting people, which she is not allowed to do in jacket. This has also become an issue as Ivy has greeted strangers in the grocery store or in a restaurant. Having to continually tell people to please ignore the dog is tiresome. I think a HUGE service dog awareness campaign is in order! DON'T TOUCH or TALK TO THE DOG!!! Sigh.

We had a great Christmas with Ivy and took her on her first camping trip last weekend. I cannot wait to share the photos! Thanks for your continued support. The fundraisers we continue to run are selling chocolate bars at Tomken Station and private donations. Mabel's Label's is an ongoing fundraiser.

Cayleb and Ivy while winter camping

Ivy 'visitin' Cayleb before falling asleep

Cayleb holding Ivy's KONG for her to lick out the PB and kibble

CAYLEB......BREAKFAST!!

2013-11-20T10:30:00.001-08:00

I ran down stairs, in the usual morning rush fashion and bellowed at Cayleb to feed Ivy. Entering the dining room I found Cayleb on the floor, eating his cereal. 'Okay Cayleb, I'm a dog, okay Cayleb eat your breakfast'.

Ivy had eaten, Cayleb had refilled his bowl with cereal and requested a cup of water. Handing it to him, I headed in the dining room to ensure Hermyonie was eating her toast. 'Swirl it around' came the camand from the kitchen. Cayleb than plopped his now water saturated cereal on the table and began to eat it.

Oh Cayleb, every day you make me smile! You warm my heart!

Small Town Living

2013-11-20T10:26:00.001-08:00

The realization that we now live in a small town came on suddenly yesterday evening. After accompanying me to a long day of training at work, Ivy and I stopped off at the Acton dog park.

Ivy was greeted by at least 6 other dogs and quickly blended into what looked like a scene from a Hairy Maclary book.

The owner of a dog, affectionately and accurately known as Bear, introduced me to the group that meets regularly at the dog park. It wasn't long before I was told I had missed NSD Cruiser by a mear 30mins!

A while late, when the sun had completely set and Ivy and I were the last soles in the park, to my regret I threw the ball one last time. As I type this entry the ball remains at the dog park.

I circled the park for one last look, and saw someone walking towards me. An enthusiastic and friendly greeting informed me that this lady was NSD Cruiser's Mom! The gentlemen at the dog park had seen her and let her know that NSD Ivy was in the dog park!

Not 3 minutes into our chat and I knew I had made a friend for life!

I think I'm going to like this smal town stuff!

Learning curve

2013-11-05T14:56:00.001-08:00

So I may have dreamt that the moment Cayleb got his service dog that life would be easy and we'd be able to function like a 'normal' family.

With Cayleb's first hook up (tethering to Ivy) going so well on Monday with Vicki and Cathy present, I was ready to take on the world - or at least WalMart!

During our week of training at NSD, Eric and I became the 'alpha' dogs in our family, and Ivy was happy to follow our commands! This was great until I tethered Cayleb up to Ivy and she kept trying to heal to me.

This coupled with Cayleb walking every which way and Hermyonie struggling to keep up made for a disastrous situation.

Getting a cart in the store and looping Ivy's leach around the handle, I thought things were going much better; and they were! That is until Cayleb said 'hold it in and don't poo your pants'. Half way to the washroom Ivy squatted and had diarrhea on WalMart's floor.

Quickly cleaning up the mess I made the decision to get Cayleb to the washroom before taking Ivy outside. It was in that instant that Cayleb spilled his hot chocolate all over the floor!!

All I could do was take a deep breath and carry on.

I failed to mention at the beginning of this blog, I decided on WalMart as a place to kill time while my tire got repaired after I ran over a nail on the way to the dog park today.

I guess the moral of the story is that NSD wasn't exaggerating when they said the first year would be the toughest. Maybe they should add that the first month is the hardest (maybe I'm wishful thinking). All I can do is push through and know that this time next year we will be settled in our new house and life will be easy.....ER!

Team Ivy & Cayleb

2013-11-04T18:38:00.001-08:00

http://www.magisto.com/video/al9GOlYUGSAzVUZgCzE

$24K

2013-11-04T16:22:00.002-08:00

We've reached $24,000!!!!

$794.82 of that has come from our chocolate/ice cream sandwich and apple fundraiser at Tomken!! A special thanks to Larry who is probably responsible for at least 1/2 of that ;)

$6K to go!

Pet Photo Contest!

2013-10-28T20:16:00.002-07:00

Photo Contest Fundraiser? I think so!!

Rules:
*$5/entry (no limit on entries/person)
*email photo to pawsforcayleb@gmail.com by November 30th, 2013 00:00
*Theme: Halloween with your pet (pet in costume etc.)
Prizes to be announced soon!!

Ivy's criptonite

2013-10-27T05:20:00.001-07:00

Our first full day home with Ivy and already we've broken her. 'Ivy, come' I manage to say in a high happy tone ... Ivy stands firm and won't move. 'Puppy, puppy, puppy'. Still Ivy won't move. I reach for my phone to call NSD emergency hotline when I see him. Sitting just around the corner is a dark (and light) small figure.