My name is Emily Kincy. My husband Eric and I have been married for 9 years. We live in Bella Vista, Arkansas. This is our son Eli. He is 5 years old.  He is diagnosed with Level 3 Severe Autism. He is non-verbal and communicates mostly through sounds and gestures. He has many sensory issues and is easily overwhelmed. Any outing with Eli can be a challenge. He loves the freedom of outdoors and will break away at any opportunity. He can unlock any standard door lock. Our deepest fear is that our precious boy will escape to his beloved outdoors and get lost. Our son, like many children with Autism, is extremely attracted to water. Accidental drownings account for 90% of fatal outcomes in children with Autism. For that reason, we are enlisting the help of a service dog for Eli. This dog is in the process of being trained to help with meltdowns, blocking from danger, minimizing self-harm and scent tracking. When we are in public, the service dog will be tethered to Eli to give him some sense of freedom without the danger of escaping. Although the cost of the dog and his extensive training is quite high, we feel like this could improve Eli's quality of life greatly and also potentially save his life. Eli is the youngest of our 3 children. Eric is a firefighter/paramedic and works long shifts. I am a teacher at a Cosmetology School. Due to the shifts that firefighters work, I am alone with all three children for extended periods of time and a service dog would give us peace of mind and the ability to take Eli places that we can not at this time. His dog "Tripp" is currently being trained in Joplin, Missouri and we hope to be able to bring Tripp home this summer.  Our great hope is that the addition of Tripp to our family will improve our entire family's quality of life and allow Eli to reach his full potential. Any and all donations would be greatly appreciated and a blessing to us. Thank you!