Liam's Service Dog
Donation protected
A service dog will help turn Liam’s life around.
Why? Well......One day, Dad was working on the furnace. It's an old-style furnace located between the Living Room and Dining Room in the floor under a grating. Dad was busy with the furnace so Liam went shopping with Mom. About an hour later they came home. Dad was still working on the furnace and the grating was removed. Mom took off Liam's coat and boots while blocking his way out of the hallway. When she bent to untie her shoe lace, he was gone in a flash. Without a thought or even slowing down, Liam ran around Dad and right into the furnace vault in the floor. He was severely cut on his leg and the injury required 15 stitches.
Liam was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3 and will have many challenges to overcome for the rest of his life.
He has developed both behavioral and social needs that we cannot completely help with. Liam has great difficulty following instructions and focusing on tasks; he struggles with various sensory processing disorders that overload his system and cause frequent melt downs. Being in public places like church, stores or school is a struggle for him.
One of Liam’s most alarming challenges is that he has no sense of danger and is prone to wandering off. He will run across the street not realizing he could be hit by a car or he would walk off the edge of a cliff not thinking he might get hurt. Worst of all, he has extreme difficulty simply communicating and connecting with other kids, even his own brother. This is a huge struggle for Liam and our family.
A service dog would help turn Liam’s life around.
It would keep Liam physically safe from the dangers of wandering and his lack of impulse control by corralling him and alerting those responsible for him of issues. A service dog would help Liam handle the stress of sensory overload while in public places by creating a social bridge to other children in his school setting.
Service dogs help decrease anxiety and depression by maintaining and projecting a calm loving energy which the child senses and mirrors. They help greatly with sleep disturbance by sharing a room at night and helping the child not panic if awakened. The dogs can provide calming pressure by laying on the child when he has a melt-down which helps regulate their sensory systems and slows their breathing.
A service dog would be a great friend for Liam and his much needed companion for years to come!
Several local organizations specifically provide autism service dogs. Liam would be paired with a puppy trained specifically to accommodate his needs and home life. This is normally a 1 to 1.5 year process from puppy selection to fully-trained service dog. The cost ranges from $25,000-$30,000. These fees cover the cost of the dog, service dog training/boarding, veterinarian expenses, etc. throughout the first year of training.
As you can see, a service dog is an enormous expense and, though it is out of our character and comfort zone to reach out for help, given the time sensitivity of this issue for Liam, we need to do this for him.
If you can find it in your heart, and/or budget, to help Liam get his furry friend and helper, we greatly thank you for doing so. No amount is too small, everything helps.
Why? Well......One day, Dad was working on the furnace. It's an old-style furnace located between the Living Room and Dining Room in the floor under a grating. Dad was busy with the furnace so Liam went shopping with Mom. About an hour later they came home. Dad was still working on the furnace and the grating was removed. Mom took off Liam's coat and boots while blocking his way out of the hallway. When she bent to untie her shoe lace, he was gone in a flash. Without a thought or even slowing down, Liam ran around Dad and right into the furnace vault in the floor. He was severely cut on his leg and the injury required 15 stitches.
Liam was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3 and will have many challenges to overcome for the rest of his life.
He has developed both behavioral and social needs that we cannot completely help with. Liam has great difficulty following instructions and focusing on tasks; he struggles with various sensory processing disorders that overload his system and cause frequent melt downs. Being in public places like church, stores or school is a struggle for him.
One of Liam’s most alarming challenges is that he has no sense of danger and is prone to wandering off. He will run across the street not realizing he could be hit by a car or he would walk off the edge of a cliff not thinking he might get hurt. Worst of all, he has extreme difficulty simply communicating and connecting with other kids, even his own brother. This is a huge struggle for Liam and our family.
A service dog would help turn Liam’s life around.
It would keep Liam physically safe from the dangers of wandering and his lack of impulse control by corralling him and alerting those responsible for him of issues. A service dog would help Liam handle the stress of sensory overload while in public places by creating a social bridge to other children in his school setting.
Service dogs help decrease anxiety and depression by maintaining and projecting a calm loving energy which the child senses and mirrors. They help greatly with sleep disturbance by sharing a room at night and helping the child not panic if awakened. The dogs can provide calming pressure by laying on the child when he has a melt-down which helps regulate their sensory systems and slows their breathing.
A service dog would be a great friend for Liam and his much needed companion for years to come!
Several local organizations specifically provide autism service dogs. Liam would be paired with a puppy trained specifically to accommodate his needs and home life. This is normally a 1 to 1.5 year process from puppy selection to fully-trained service dog. The cost ranges from $25,000-$30,000. These fees cover the cost of the dog, service dog training/boarding, veterinarian expenses, etc. throughout the first year of training.
As you can see, a service dog is an enormous expense and, though it is out of our character and comfort zone to reach out for help, given the time sensitivity of this issue for Liam, we need to do this for him.
If you can find it in your heart, and/or budget, to help Liam get his furry friend and helper, we greatly thank you for doing so. No amount is too small, everything helps.
Organizer
Elizabeth Reszka
Organizer
Buffalo, NY
