Timmy's Autism Service Dog
Donation protected
BUDDY for TIMMY
Every parent hopes his or her child will have a friend. Timmy’s dog would be his first friend and show him unconditional and nonjudgmental love. His friend will be a source of comfort during times of anxiety and provide consistency in his life when he is faced with new environments and experiences. Instead of seeing Timmy sitting by himself, we will see him with his buddy!
We believe an autism service dog will be life changing for Timmy and our family. The benefits will be great, but so is the cost! So that is why we need your help to get Timmy his Autism service dog, we need to raise $17,000.
Timmy is a happy 10-year-old boy with excitement and curiosity for the world around him. He is completely non-verbal with the cognitive level of an 18 month old, but in the body of a 10-year-old physically active boy. Timmy suffers from seizures and was diagnosed with epilepsy at 9 months of age soon followed by the diagnosis of Autism. He depends on us, and his big sister and brother along with teachers, aides, and therapists for help with every aspect of daily living.
Safety is our biggest concern. An autism assistance dog will help us protect him from harm.
Timmy does not respond to his name, so if he wandered off unknowingly, he would never react to someone calling his name. He doesn’t have coping mechanisms for feelings such as fear, hurt, sadness, nor does he have any understanding of danger. He loves to run in only one direction-forward- he never turns around. This means he will run into the street, into other danger, or even go missing. His service dog would be trained in “search and rescue”. If we look for Timmy alone we may search in the wrong direction in a helpless panic, but his service dog would be trained to follow his scent and find him more quickly. Timmy wears a “Project LifeSaver” ankle bracelet, which can help the police to locate him, but the dog would be much quicker and could already begin the search before the police even arrive.
An austism assistance dog would profoundly improve Timmy’s quality of life . His service dog would be at his side and “shadow” him. If Tim were in another room or wander away, his dog would respond when we call since Timmy cannot. We must always hold his hand when we are out. He wants to walk by himself so walking into a store, mall, the library, or even just going to a relative’s house for a visit becomes a wrestling match. He will try to pull away with all his might. It becomes a very upsetting and stressful situation for all involved, so unfortunately the family misses out on so many family outings.
Timmy’s service dog would make outings much less stressful because Timmy would be tethered to the dog and able to walk independently avoiding the common wresting match with us. In addition, if Timmy were to try to run off, the handler would give the dog the “stay” command, which will have the dog prevent Timmy from going anywhere. The service dog’s calming presence can minimize and often eliminate emotional outbursts, enabling our family to do so many more things together.
Please consider joining Timmy on his journey leading to his friend and service dog, by making a donation.
Share our story
Maybe someone you know will donate!
Thank you to all our friends and family for being so supportive.
We love you all!
Every parent hopes his or her child will have a friend. Timmy’s dog would be his first friend and show him unconditional and nonjudgmental love. His friend will be a source of comfort during times of anxiety and provide consistency in his life when he is faced with new environments and experiences. Instead of seeing Timmy sitting by himself, we will see him with his buddy!
We believe an autism service dog will be life changing for Timmy and our family. The benefits will be great, but so is the cost! So that is why we need your help to get Timmy his Autism service dog, we need to raise $17,000.
Timmy is a happy 10-year-old boy with excitement and curiosity for the world around him. He is completely non-verbal with the cognitive level of an 18 month old, but in the body of a 10-year-old physically active boy. Timmy suffers from seizures and was diagnosed with epilepsy at 9 months of age soon followed by the diagnosis of Autism. He depends on us, and his big sister and brother along with teachers, aides, and therapists for help with every aspect of daily living.
Safety is our biggest concern. An autism assistance dog will help us protect him from harm.
Timmy does not respond to his name, so if he wandered off unknowingly, he would never react to someone calling his name. He doesn’t have coping mechanisms for feelings such as fear, hurt, sadness, nor does he have any understanding of danger. He loves to run in only one direction-forward- he never turns around. This means he will run into the street, into other danger, or even go missing. His service dog would be trained in “search and rescue”. If we look for Timmy alone we may search in the wrong direction in a helpless panic, but his service dog would be trained to follow his scent and find him more quickly. Timmy wears a “Project LifeSaver” ankle bracelet, which can help the police to locate him, but the dog would be much quicker and could already begin the search before the police even arrive.
An austism assistance dog would profoundly improve Timmy’s quality of life . His service dog would be at his side and “shadow” him. If Tim were in another room or wander away, his dog would respond when we call since Timmy cannot. We must always hold his hand when we are out. He wants to walk by himself so walking into a store, mall, the library, or even just going to a relative’s house for a visit becomes a wrestling match. He will try to pull away with all his might. It becomes a very upsetting and stressful situation for all involved, so unfortunately the family misses out on so many family outings.
Timmy’s service dog would make outings much less stressful because Timmy would be tethered to the dog and able to walk independently avoiding the common wresting match with us. In addition, if Timmy were to try to run off, the handler would give the dog the “stay” command, which will have the dog prevent Timmy from going anywhere. The service dog’s calming presence can minimize and often eliminate emotional outbursts, enabling our family to do so many more things together.
Please consider joining Timmy on his journey leading to his friend and service dog, by making a donation.
Share our story
Maybe someone you know will donate!
Thank you to all our friends and family for being so supportive.
We love you all!
Organizer
Patty Dunne
Organizer
Randolph Township, NJ
