Griffin Needs a Service Dog

Griffin is 8 years old and was diagnosed with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) when he was 2 and a half. He's an awesome kid. Griffin is incredibly smart and loves to learn. He's funny, helpful, and sweet. He's also very impulsive and has no fear. That combination is common among autistic kids and can be incredibly terrifying.

Griffin has a habit of eloping and has ended up in circumstances that had the potential to become fatal. For those not familiar with ASD, elopement is the term used to describe when a person with ASD unexpectedly runs or wanders off from their caregivers or a safe location. A 2012 article published in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics found that 49% of autistic children attempt to elope at least once after age 4. 26% of those kids were missing long enough to cause serious concern. Of those that went missing, 65% were in danger of a traffic injury, and another 24% were in danger of drowning.

Griffin has been approved for a service dog from Autism Anchoring Dogs. AAD was founded by a mother whose own autistic 8 year old son eloped in 2006 and is still missing. The cost of an anchor dog through this program is currently around $30,000+, not including things like vehicle ramps, oversized beds, paw covers to keep their paws from burning on hot asphalt, etc. The amount seems high at first, but makes sense when you realize how much goes into training a service dog from AAD. Their dogs spend 2 YEARS receiving full time training to become life saving service animals. That amount also includes 2 weeks of in-person training for Griffin and our family to learn how to handle a service dog and learn all the commands needed for success.

The specific dog we're hoping to get for Griffin is a male Newfoundland. This dog has about 10 more months of training ahead of him, which is actually the shortest waiting time we've found. The $30,000 needed to get the dog is broken down into 3 payments. A $10,000 deposit will allow us to reserve this specific dog. Until we are able to make the deposit, the dog can potentially be selected by another family, which would extend our waiting time and the risk of Griffin eloping and ending up missing, hurt, or worse. For our family, time is of the essence.

Anchor dogs are tethered to their person by a leash connected to a special belt or harness worn by the child and also by a regular leash controlled by an adult handler. The leash between the anchor dog and their person is long enough to allow them some independence, while still remaining safe and reducing the anxiety of the parent/caretaker.

The basic idea is that when Griffin is out with his service dog, the dog can simply sit down and prevent him from going further than the leash will allow. To keep Griffin from winning this game of tug of war or causing injury to himself or the dog, the dog has to be big. REALLY big. Griffin's dog will be a Newfoundland. Male Newfies average between 130 and 150 lbs, making them one of the biggest and strongest dog breeds out there. Despite their size, the AKC lists a "sweet disposition " as the most important single characteristic of a Newfie.

The adults in his life do all that we can to keep him safe. But Griffin is like a mini ninja without a sense of danger. We don't want to potentially lose our son or have him end up hurt. As his parents, even a trip to the park or the grocery store is very stressful because he could bolt into traffic while in the parking lot or down an aisle and out of sight in a split second. For Griffin, it's annoying to have an adult hovering over him when he just wants to play with other kids. An anchor dog would let Griffin have some freedom and help reduce some of the anxiety we feel anytime we're in public.

His latest elopement was at his school. Griffin is currently enrolled in a private school for kids with ASD and other special needs. He ran from the lunchroom and made it out into the parking lot. School staffers were only able to catch up with him after he stopped running voluntarily. This prompted the school to require that he have a full time one-on-one aide or service dog with him at all times before he can return. Our health insurance won't cover any services for autism, including an aide or a service dog.

A service dog will help Griffin receive the best education available to him and also help keep him safe. It will give him independence and provide support and comfort as he navigates through a world that doesn't always understand him.