Ben's Autism Service Dog

Hi, we're Phil & Amy and we are writing to share about our amazing 9-year-old Benjamin.

Ben is a smart, kind, funny, loving, and creative kid. He has a huge heart and loves so big. Ben is autistic with a PDA profile which stands for "pervasive drive for autonomy" previously known as "pathological demand avoidance". He also is diagnosed with ADHD, generalized anxiety, and PTSD from the traumatic nature of his meltdowns/panic attacks. There are much better resources on PDA than what we have time to explain here, but at its core, PDA is a nervous system disability. His threshold for nervous system "fight or flight" activation is much more sensitive than that of a "neurotypical" person. He frequently experiences meltdowns/panic attacks and sensory overwhelm.

Ben loves dogs. His attachment to our dog Ranger has gotten him through some extremely trying moments in the last few years, especially. In the fall he had his first cross-country race, which was a very big event for him. He wanted so badly to complete the race, but he faced a lot of anxiety leading up to the race. When we saw that what got him through that day was meeting, hugging, petting, and kissing all the dogs he saw on the sidelines, we knew that our intuition about him needing a service dog was absolutely correct.

Ben will have a service dog raised from a puppy specifically for autism/ptsd. Ben's service dog will know several commands including deep pressure, crowd control, sensing emotional dysregulation, and also be trained to help reduce the risk of eloping, which is an issue for ben. Ben has run from the school building multiple times during times of extreme dysregulation. He has had a hard time accessing sleep in the last few years and cannot sleep without another "nervous system" coregulating with him. Ben's dog will sleep with him and hopefully, allow ben to access sleep in his own room and give the rest of our family some breathing room. His dog will go everywhere with us and allow Ben to continue to access things that are difficult for him, especially school. Most importantly, Ben's dog will be his constant companion. Ben has a lot of negative feelings about himself and can have a harder time making friends. Having the unconditional love of his service dog will be priceless for his self worth and self compassion.

Ben's diagnoses comes with some financial challenges. He sees several professionals and we have utilized several therapies that are not covered by insurance, including the safe and sound protocol for nervous system regulation. Similarly, the service dog is not covered by insurance. We will also have all of the added expenses that a second dog brings and we will need to travel to Nevada to meet and train with Ben's dog. We are hoping to fundraise towards the cost of Ben's service dog. The cost of the dog alone is $29,000. We appreciate any donation, and also we would love you to consider sharing with your friends!

Thank you!!

Please follow along with our journey on Instagram @pdapup