Si & Rye, An Autism Service Dog

Hi, we are Alex and Shane, and we're fundraising for an Autism Service Dog from A Better Pet, LLC for our son, Simon.

Simon is 9 1/2 and in 3rd grade. He has an incredibly gentle heart and is a wonderful kid. He loves reading, chess, Legos, Minecraft, and playing with our dog and bunnies. When our baby niece is over, Simon is a great help, and loves to play peekaboo to keep her occupied!

He also has Autism, Anxiety, and ADHD. This has been an incredibly tough year for him- he's been dealing with increased sensory overwhelm and meltdowns. Then in January, the smells, sounds, and noises of school became too much for him, and he's been out of school since that time. When the frustration and anger were at their peak, Simon was telling us that he didn't even recognize himself anymore, and although his ultimate goal was "Just to live a happy life" this felt unattainable for him. As a parent, it was truly heartbreaking to watch our beautiful child struggle with such deep emotional pain.

For years we’ve thought that Simon would really benefit from a service dog, but now it felt like it was a critical need. He has the fondest memories of snuggling into his aunt's big black Lab, and (once he gets the owner's permission) will make best friends with every dog he meets. Whenever we see a dog in public, it's almost guaranteed that Simon will be on the ground with them, hugging them and letting them lick his face. He shines with pure joy during those moments.

We believe an Autism Service Dog would be truly life-changing for Simon. The service dog could be trained to help him with emotional regulation and stay in control of his anger. It could also be an important touchstone for Simon during transitions, and help protect his personal space, which is a major trigger right now. We also think Simon would benefit from distraction, nudging and deep-pressure sorts of behaviors from the dog. An Autism Service Dog could also provide a social bridge for him.

Just as critically, we know that the bond they would form, and the unconditional love from the dog would be deeply healing for Simon.

In our search to find a service dog, we came upon Rachel Friedman, a professional Service Dog Trainer and the owner of A Better Pet LLC . What makes her different than some of the big agencies is that she breeds and raises the dogs herself, and then teaches us (including Simon) how to continue with the training over a period of 6 months, instead of the 4-7 days which is typical with the larger service dog organizations. Having this knowledge will help us maintain the dog's training over time, and help reinforce any new behaviors that could be beneficial.

Enter Rye.

During our first call with Rachel, she mentioned she had a dog -Rye- that was already 7 months old and who she believed was "destined to be an Autism Service Dog." Our whole family drove out to meet Rye that afternoon. He’s an adorable and intelligent pup, and let Simon hug on him right away. Simon got to practice a few commands with Rye, and even with 5 other wonderfully distracting dogs there, Rye was able to focus on Simon.

Even though we had only told Simon that we were there to play with some dogs and meet Ms. Rachel, when we got back in the car, he promptly announced that Rye was his favorite. He closed his eyes, and radiated peace on the drive home, telling us he was thinking about Rye.

When we told Simon that Rye was available for placement, the look on his face confirmed everything we needed to know. We'll be doing our 3-day-sleepover with Rye this weekend (3/15-3/17), and to say that Simon is excited is an understatement! This has already been so motivating for him!

Having Rye available now feels like providence. While so many steps of our journey through Autism have been painful and difficult, I've always clung to the belief that God will provide a way through it, even if we can't see the path. So now, instead of the typical 2+ year waitlist, or even a 6-12 month wait through A Better Pet, our timeline is now measured in weeks. What a blessing!

This is where you come in. Training and raising an Autism Service Dog comes with a number of costs, and we are aiming to raise $22,000 to bring Rye home to Simon. (Cost breakdown is below.)

Would you consider donating to help cover this cost? This is truly one of those chances to make a life-changing impact on a child.

We are incredibly grateful for your support. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Cost Breakdown: $3000 for Rye, $18,000 for the training, and $1000 for taxes and equipment (like an Invisible Fence collar and training, crate, toys, collar, etc)