Help Roki Receive a Life-Changing Service Dog

A trained service dog will give Roki safety, stability, and the chance to finally feel safe in his own body.

My son Roki is 8 years old. He is bright, funny, deeply loving, and incredibly creative. But he also lives with a level of anxiety and emotional dysregulation that can overwhelm him in seconds.

When panic hits, Roki goes straight into fight-or-flight. His body reacts before his mind can catch up. Sometimes he runs to escape the overwhelming feeling. Sometimes he becomes aggressive — not out of anger or intention, but because his nervous system is in a state of pure overload and he cannot regulate on his own.

This is not who he is.

This is what happens when his brain feels unsafe.

As his mom, the hardest thing in the world is watching him struggle and knowing he isn’t doing it on purpose. I want nothing more than for him to feel safe, grounded, and supported.

A fully-trained Psychiatric/Autism Service Dog can help him in ways nothing else has.

How a Service Dog Will Change Roki’s Life

A specially trained service dog would be able to:

❤️ Recognize his rising panic before the meltdown happens

❤️ Interrupt aggressive or dysregulated moments by grounding him

❤️ Use deep pressure therapy to calm his body and nervous system

❤️ Help him stay present when anxiety takes over

❤️ Prevent elopement by interrupting the panic cycle

❤️ Provide emotional regulation support during transitions and school

❤️ Sleep beside him for nighttime calming and comfort

Most importantly:

A service dog will give Roki safety, emotional regulation, and the ability to simply be a kid again.

Why Santa Fe’s Program Is the Best Fit

After weeks of searching and calling organizations across multiple states, we found a program in Santa Fe that:

✨ Trains fully-trained adult service dogs — not puppies, but dogs who already know their tasks

✨ Specializes in anxiety interruption + emotional regulation support

✨ Understands children with aggression rooted in overwhelm, not behavior

✨ Includes a 2-week bonding/training period for Roki and me

✨ Selects dogs based on temperament, gentleness, and emotional awareness

This is exactly what Roki needs — a dog who can be his calm, steady anchor in the middle of emotional storms.

Why We Need Help

The total cost — including the dog, training, travel, and required on-site work — is about $15,000.

As a single mom, especially with ongoing therapies and medical needs, I simply cannot cover this alone.

But together, with community support, we can make this possible for him.

How You Can Help

Every donation, share, and kind word brings us one step closer to giving Roki the partner he needs for safety, emotional regulation, and independence.

If you are unable to donate, sharing this campaign helps more than you know.

From the bottom of my heart — thank you for reading, thank you for caring, and thank you for helping Roki receive the life-changing support he deserves.

With gratitude,

Cindy