A Service Dog for Aubrey

In 2015, we welcomed 2 year old Aubrey into our home for the first time and in 2017 we had the honor of adopting him. Aubrey is full of joy, questions, and adventure. He has autism. We have learned that with autism, as kids grow, there are new challenges that are presented. In order to give Aubrey the best support we can, we have sought the help of doctors, therapists, psychologists, specialists, educators. In the past 9 years, we have learned the lengths that any parent would go to in order to give their family the best life possible. For the purposes of safety, well-being, and continued growth and progress toward his goals, he is currently in a residential program for kids like him.

He is estimated to return home towards the end of 2024. In preparation for his return home, we are starting the process of getting him a service dog. Service dogs teach empathy and patience. They can be trained to intervene when people engage in self harm, and to comfort people who are experiencing anxiety by applying pressure. We have heard stories of how kids like Aubrey have benefited from having a service dog and we are very hopeful that this will be a positive addition to his life.

It is not in our nature to ask for help. We typically make things work on our own in some way or another. We have been through so much as a family. But this time feels different. Many people have asked how they can help and we are so grateful. Thank you for seeing Aubrey for the amazing kid that he is.

We’ve selected a trainer named Grant Baxley who comes highly recommended. He has an amazing program and has tons of experience training dogs for all types of jobs, including service dogs for kids with special needs. We have a potential match for Aubrey- a yellow lab named Moon! Your support will help us make our payments so that over the next few months Grant can get a special dog ready for Aubrey’s return.

Grant’s website is csradogtrainer.com