Autism Service Dog

I am raising money to help my sister with the costs of getting and training a service dog for my Autistic nephew.  I felt it especially appropriate to start this gofundme on National Autism Awareness Day.  But honestly it is so much more than just that.

My sister is trying her best to save the funds she needs to help my nephew.  However my sister is raising two young boys by herself.  While recovering from an ongoing battle with thyroid cancer.  With only SSDI as income.  Raising one child who is Autistic (love you Alex!) and another (love you Anthony) who had his first open heart surgery at about a week old, and his second at about one year of age.  A service dog will not only help Alex, but will make a huge difference in all of their lives.  

Service dogs are an amazing resource for anyone with a disability, but for children growing up with Autism they are especially important.  Service dogs act as a bridge for the Autistic child.  They help them handle sensory overload, deal with social interaction, and so much more.  Studies have shown over and over again that Autistic children (and adults!) have hugely better outcomes and quality of life with the help of a service dog.

But training a service dog is not cheap, nor is finding a dog that will be a good fit an easy or cheap task.  There are many places that will help, but they are expensive and the ones that provide their services for free have waiting lists that are often a decade long.  

If you would like to know more about Autism and service dogs I highly suggest this video.