News
Service Dog Helps Bring Stability to Bazine Boy and His Family
Finding Calm In Chaos
Wonder Service Dog – Aqua is 75% Pyrenees and 25% Golden Retriever. He was trained by Bazine resident Krista LaRocque, along lead trainer Savanna Moore, who now lives in New Jersey, but is originally from Ness City. FASDogs operates out of Bazine, but is a nationwide organization, with approximately a dozen trainers and clients located across the United States. The organization’s goal is to properly train and place 10 service dogs per year, said LaRocque.
“Aqua is a bit older for a new service dog because he was a late bloomer,” explained LaRocque. “In the beginning, he didn’t want to do some of the training, but eventually, it all clicked for him. He ended up being the perfect match for Alex because Aqua has such a naturally calming presence about him.”
In the quiet and serene western Kansas town of Bazine, life inside one household was ironically defined for years by anxious unpredictability. Nine‑year‑old Alex, diagnosed with autism, has long struggled with behaviors that have overwhelmed classrooms, teachers, and even entire school systems. His mother, Mahria remembers the phone calls, the shortened school days, the tears — hers and even some of the educators – trying to figure out how to help her son.
Even after transferring to a second school district, the challenges continued to escalate. Staff tried half‑days, adjusted schedules, and maintained constant communication. But Alex continued to elope from classrooms, and rooms were often left in disarray from his behavioral outbursts. One administrator broke down crying on the phone to Mahria, telling her, “He’s running away and I don’t know how to help him.”
Eventually, at the urging of Alex’s therapist, Mahria made the difficult decision to homeschool. For the past three years, she has balanced full‑time parenting, teaching, and her job as a remote dispatcher for a private law enforcement company. Her days are a rotation of school drop‑offs, lessons in reading, math and art, naps squeezed in between shifts, and late‑night work.
“It’s a lot,” she said simply. “But thankfully I can work from home.”
The Road to Aqua
The turning point began 2 1/2 years ago, with a search for a service dog to help Alex.
The process was daunting: long waitlists, high fees, and countless organizations to sift through. A stroke of luck came in the form of a neighbor connected to FASDogs, an organization dedicated to providing quality service dogs to assist families dealing with issues related to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and other related diagnoses like autism. The neighbor put her in touch with Krista LaRocque, service dog trainer for FASDogs, who also lives in the community.
Alex was screened for his preferences, and Mahria began fundraising to cover the costs — more than $8,000 for a training dog, plus deposits, application fees, travel to Topeka, and the week‑long training required for families. Add in crates, vests, leashes, and harnesses, and the total climbed even higher.
“It was a struggle to get where we are,” said Mahria, “but definitely worth it.”
After seeing Alex interact with other service dogs and an initial attempt to match a puppy with Alex, LaRocque brought a 3-year-old Golden Pyrenees named Aqua to Alex’s therapy session. The bond between boy and dog was immediate.
“They were instant buddies,” Mahria said. “Even the service dog people were surprised because they don’t usually see them sync up that quickly.”
During previous visits, other dogs didn’t connect with Alex at all. But with Aqua, he stayed for an hour and a half on the first visit. Alex and Mahria returned several more times to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t.
From that first meeting to Aqua’s trial placement in the home, nearly a year passed. Training was extensive: pressure therapy, co‑handling sessions, and specialized work with multiple trainers. Aqua officially graduated training in early August last year, but he had already been living with the family since May.
A Calmer Home — and a Calmer Child
The changes were noticeable almost immediately.
“His therapist has seen it too,” Mahria said about Alex’s progress. “He’s able to regulate quicker. Instead of a room getting destroyed, it’s maybe one or two things that he throws.”
Aqua’s presence has softened the intensity of Alex’s reactions, especially when stimulants trigger sensory overload. What used to be a 70 percent chance of a meltdown is slowly shifting so that the episodes become fewer and with less intensity.
Those who try sternness with Alex only escalate the situation, Mahria explained. Calm works better. She said that Aqua embodies that calm.
Still, the work continues. Aqua must be trained daily, rewarded intentionally, and not treated as a family pet, but as a working partner.
“We have to keep training him at home,” she said. “He has to earn things. We can’t give treats all the time. And we can take him through a refresher course, if needed.”
A Community Effort
The journey that eventually led to Aqua wasn’t one the family made alone. More than $8,000 was needed to bring a trained service dog to Alex. Funding came together after Mahria’s tax refund along with a combination of other funding sources. Mahria credits her daughter Nadia’s school, the local 4H Club, and neighbors for stepping up when the family needed financial help to cover the cost. Rosewood Services and its Roots & Wings Foundation also helped in a major way with funding and support, she said.
“I can’t say it enough — thank you, thank you, thank you so much to everyone for helping us make this possible,” said Mahria.
A New Chapter
Today, Aqua has been fully certified and working with Alex for nearly six months, though he’s been part of the household since last spring.
“I’ve seen improvement, definitely since Aqua has been in our house,” Mahria said with relief in her voice. “It was a long process, but it was worth every bit of it.”
The bond between her boy and his service dog is offering stability, hope, and the promise of calmer days ahead.
-RW-
Find more about Rosewood Services online, RosewoodServices.com
Follow us: facebook.com/RosewoodServices/
For more information, contact Michael Dawes, MichaelD@rosewoodservices.com, 620-792-2536
February 2, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Story by: Michael Dawes, director of PR, Rosewood Services, 620-792-2536, MichaelD@rosewoodservices.com
