Help Anthony Get His Service Dog

Hi, my name is Adriana and I am doing this GoFundMe for my son Anthony. Anthony is a loving three year old boy who was diagnosed with Autism when he was only two years old. He is doing ABA therapy 30 hours a week at home and we have experienced first hand the benefits of providing him with everything he needs to progress with his condition. ABA therapy has been a blessing; Anthony went from having over 7-10 tantrums a day to 1-2 in a month; he has progressed in speech (even though he is still non-verbal), social skills and he is now making emotional connections with family. After doing research and looking for additional ways to help him, we came across the idea of providing my son with a Service Dog. Anthony wanders away in public places, and he is deeply attracted by water which makes his tendency to bolt a safety concern that we have to have present everywhere we go. He also has a tendency to escape the house, which we keep addressing by adding special security to every opening, but we know these will only keep him safe now and as he gets bigger and more agile, the possibility of him escaping the house become a greater concern. So far, Anthony does not have a real idea of danger and he does not express pain when he gets hurt. Also, even with all the help he gets from therapy, it is really hard for Anthony to autoregulate himself when the most unexpected things (like the dryer being on, a new song playing on the radio or just a transition between different places) cause emotional meltdowns. We now know how much a Service Dog could help him with all these concerning characteristics.

We are currently applying with different organizations who are helping us find a good match between a dog and Anthony. This is a long process which requires a lot of paperwork and expenses. The average cost of training a Service Dog can vary between $20,000 to $60,000, and the organizations we are using only ask for us to try to fundraise as much as possible. The money we collect will go to Anthony having his Service dog and any additional funds will help cover the costs of training the next dog for the next kid in need of this amazing service.

Please help us reach our goal, everything helps Anthony get closer to having a permanent best friend; even by spreading this fundraising you will be helping us a lot! Thank you!!