Help Noah get an Autism Service Dog
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It is hard for me to ask for help...sometimes my pride is my worst enemy... However I know that without help this isn't something we can do for our son.
Noah has always marched to the beat of his own drum but it occured to us at about 3 years old that he didn't do things other kids did. He isn't into kid shows, kid toys or activities, in fact he isn't into "kids" period. Since he could sit up he was facinated with how things work. I started noticing that he wasn't really learning the things he should for his age. He has always been interested in the science of things and how they work. He has always been advanced in certain areas and stuggles in areas expected for his age such as to learning the alphabet, numbers and colors. We would visit doctor after doctor and recieve medicine after medicine- all I wanted was to understand where we fit in. I knew I could handle whatever it was, but just needed to know something so I could get him the support he needs and have a better understand of what we are dealing with.
Fast forward to the last 6 months. I've pushed and pushed to get testing done and help for our son. In my opinion I felt as if he was going downhill quickly. We moved in June and he did NOT handle the change well-his little world was falling apart. He was closing himself off, not wanting to leave the house, getting into trouble constantly and doing numerous things that didn't make any sense. Next week his Daddy deploys for the 3rd time in his life and he has already started shutting down. It's heartbreaking to not understand...to know that HE doesn't even understand what is going on in his world. Lately he has started almost daily therapy which is new and so uncomfortable to him.
Getting him a service dog was mentioned to us and I'm a full believer in animal therapy. The dog will be able to get thru to Noah when I can't..not because I don't try but because neither of us understand. Noah also has problems sleeping, getting up at night and taking things apart, playing with knives messing in the yard ALONE...outside ALONE. The dog will alert me as to when he is up and block the door when he tries to go places he isn't allowed. Going to the store or going anywhere with an Autistic kiddo is HUGE. I have to tell him days in advance when we have errands to run and he asks how many stores and what we have to get. Once we get to the stores he wanders. He takes off with no fear of strangers or dangerous situations. All he cares about is shiny, sparkly things he can find on the ground. The dog will be trained to sit when he wanders and not move until I can get to him. Most importantly this will be his constant...someone that never leaves his side and is always there for him when he doesn't understand his own little world.
We have contacted numerous organizations that train the Autism service dog and they all have a 2+ year waitlist and a $15,000-$22,000 price. We CAN'T afford that. We decided to try and find someone local that can do it now. We purchased a German Shepherd puppy that we will pick up this week and found a local organization that can train the dog with Noah for $5000. I'm asking for help with the service training. I have ZERO expertise on training a service animal and this will get his dog registered as a service animal where he will be able to go everywhere with Noah. I understand this is a huge deal and I HATE asking for help but if you could help my little boy that would be greatly appreciated. If you can't help finacially please help thru prayer.
Noah has always marched to the beat of his own drum but it occured to us at about 3 years old that he didn't do things other kids did. He isn't into kid shows, kid toys or activities, in fact he isn't into "kids" period. Since he could sit up he was facinated with how things work. I started noticing that he wasn't really learning the things he should for his age. He has always been interested in the science of things and how they work. He has always been advanced in certain areas and stuggles in areas expected for his age such as to learning the alphabet, numbers and colors. We would visit doctor after doctor and recieve medicine after medicine- all I wanted was to understand where we fit in. I knew I could handle whatever it was, but just needed to know something so I could get him the support he needs and have a better understand of what we are dealing with.
Fast forward to the last 6 months. I've pushed and pushed to get testing done and help for our son. In my opinion I felt as if he was going downhill quickly. We moved in June and he did NOT handle the change well-his little world was falling apart. He was closing himself off, not wanting to leave the house, getting into trouble constantly and doing numerous things that didn't make any sense. Next week his Daddy deploys for the 3rd time in his life and he has already started shutting down. It's heartbreaking to not understand...to know that HE doesn't even understand what is going on in his world. Lately he has started almost daily therapy which is new and so uncomfortable to him.
Getting him a service dog was mentioned to us and I'm a full believer in animal therapy. The dog will be able to get thru to Noah when I can't..not because I don't try but because neither of us understand. Noah also has problems sleeping, getting up at night and taking things apart, playing with knives messing in the yard ALONE...outside ALONE. The dog will alert me as to when he is up and block the door when he tries to go places he isn't allowed. Going to the store or going anywhere with an Autistic kiddo is HUGE. I have to tell him days in advance when we have errands to run and he asks how many stores and what we have to get. Once we get to the stores he wanders. He takes off with no fear of strangers or dangerous situations. All he cares about is shiny, sparkly things he can find on the ground. The dog will be trained to sit when he wanders and not move until I can get to him. Most importantly this will be his constant...someone that never leaves his side and is always there for him when he doesn't understand his own little world.
We have contacted numerous organizations that train the Autism service dog and they all have a 2+ year waitlist and a $15,000-$22,000 price. We CAN'T afford that. We decided to try and find someone local that can do it now. We purchased a German Shepherd puppy that we will pick up this week and found a local organization that can train the dog with Noah for $5000. I'm asking for help with the service training. I have ZERO expertise on training a service animal and this will get his dog registered as a service animal where he will be able to go everywhere with Noah. I understand this is a huge deal and I HATE asking for help but if you could help my little boy that would be greatly appreciated. If you can't help finacially please help thru prayer.
Organizer
Lauren Hawley
Organizer
Colorado Springs, CO
