A Service Dog for Iain McLean

UPDATE:  We have completed the fundraising for the Service Dog's training!!!  We are on the waiting list to receive a dog.  THANK YOU.  We couldn't have done any of this without your generous support.   On to our next step in this grand adventure - we need to secure funding for our travel and expenses, and the travel and expenses of our trainer.  

When our dog is ready for indivudualized training, we will be flying up to Oregon for a week's stay.  We will be at the ASDA facilities to train the family and the dog together.  At a minimum, Iain and Kate will be traveling for training.  We are hoping Michael can come as well.  After training for a week in Oregon, we bring the dog home.  Two weeks later the trainer comes down to south Louisiana to fine tune training in the community with Iain.  

Those expenses are covered by our family, and we are anticipating $5,000 - $8,000 in further expenses.  Airfare, hotels, meals, etc.

We continue to make and sell Bath Bombs.  We continue to offer Iain's art work (prints, originals and commissioned pieces) for sale.  If you can contribute - we will be eternally grateful!  


Michael, Kate, Brennan, Iain, and Seumas

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Dear Family, Friends and Friends-we-haven't-met-yet...

We hope this finds you all well.  As some of you know, our son Iain has been diagnosed with autism, a neurological disorder involving a spectrum of behaviors and characteristics causing communication, social, and sensory difficulties.  We have been approved to receive a service dog for Iain from Autism Service Dogs of America (ASDA).

The service dog agency, Autism Service Dogs of America, is an Oregon based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.  We have a fundraising goal of $13,500 to help cover some of the expenses involved in raising and training Iain's service dog.

Why is this so expensive?  Specialized breeders provide puppies.  Training begins at 8-weeks and continues until the dog is almost two years old.  Specialist trainers with Autism Service Dogs of America train the dogs and keep them 24 hours a day.  These dogs are constantly learning.  Dogs are matched up with a specific child. 
I am entering a special High School program for Talented Artists in the fall of 2015.  How cool is that? ? !

How will a service dog help Iain?   The service dog we receive will be specifically trained to assist children with autism.  An ASDA service dog will assist Iain by helping us assure he is safe when we leave our home, and help interrupt his self-injurious behaviors. This helps reduce the anxiety and frustration that often lead to difficult behaviors, and allows Iain to participate in activities he is currently unable to attend both at home and at school.  It can be difficult to access the community as a family, as he has no sense of danger, and often darts into streets or parking lots and has been known to run away.  Iain also climbs out of moving cars - can you imagine how scary that is? 

We very rarely go out in public with him due to his lack of personal safety issues.  Having a service dog with Iain will help keep him safe while we are out in public. Also, the dog will serve as an emotional anchor helping to calm Iain where ever he is.

My brothers Seumas, Brennan, and ME - Iain.

Other families who have received these dogs report an increase in functional speech because the child wants to talks to the dog as if he were a friend.  Families also report their child's classroom learning and on-task behavior improves with the presence of the service dog. While the benefits of service dogs for children with autism vary from child to child, research indicates that children served by a trained service dog demonstrate marked improvement in mood, socialization, learning and general psychological and sociological development.

Brennan, Dad, ME (the artist), Momma and Seumas

Our family is kindly asking for your support in raising funds to help provide Iain with an ASDA service dog. Donations can be made through our GoFundMe page (you're already there!) directly to ASDA via check, on their website using PayPal, or by credit card by calling ASDA directly.  Please write Iain’s name in the memo section of your check, or in the ‘message’ section of an online donation, so your contribution will be credited to Iain’s account.

We greatly appreciate your generosity and support in our fund raising efforts.

Thank you,

Kate, Michael, and Iain
(Brennan and Seumas)


Autism Service Dogs of America
5232 N Interstate Avenue
Portland, OR 97217

ASDA's Federal tax identification number is
71-0888906

I DARE you to click on this ... See what happens when someone connects with a dog, and connects to the WORLD!

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