Jackson boy could benefit from social therapy dog

Racine Ghiz just knew.

The moment a doctor mentioned that the best thing he ever did for his own special-needs child was to get a trained dog, Racine's maternal instincts kicked in.

She knew, she just knows, that a trained dog will improve the quality of life of her 9-year-old son, Josh, a victim of his abnormal and rare genetic makeup. He has a disorder called 18 Q-minus Syndrome. Every cell in his body is flawed. He cannot see or hear. He cannot walk. And his arms and legs are broomstick thin even though Josh takes expensive growth hormone shots daily.

Josh's greatest assets are his parents Alex and Racine. The Ghiz family lives in Jackson and it includes three daughters, Lily, 6; Ivy, 3 and Gwen, six months.

Racine seems to be the type of mother who will stop at nothing to give her children the best quality of life possible.

Now, a few friends have jumped on the Ghiz bandwagon. They, too, seem to be the type of people who will accept nothing but the best for Josh.

And the best for Josh, almost everyone agrees, is a Golden Retriever mix named Crissie.

All told, Crissie's cost will be around $5,000 to $6,000.

The dog will help keep Josh occupied so he doesn't engage in "self-stimulation." Josh often pokes at his eyes and bends his fingers back to the point of pain. He's even broken one finger.

But there isn't a lot of time to collect the money. Crissie will be ready for Josh at the beginning of December.

bmiller@semissourian.com

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