Autism Service Dog for Caleb

Our son, Caleb, was diagnosed with autism just before his 3rd birthday. For the past year, he has been receiving a variety of therapies and making great progress. With his diagnosis we were able to enroll him in a pre-school setting that allows Caleb to thrive and be his loving himself. We are pleased by the steps he has taken. When Caleb was first was diagnosised I cried. Not out of denial, but in relief to have a better understanding to what was going on with him. I was feeling so much anxiety with being out in public with Caleb. I wasn't enjoying social activities; including birthday parties because I was always on my toes and not sure what he would do next. Was he going to walk into a strangers home or attempt to get in their car? Was he going to take off running towards the Street?  Was he going escape the home even though they locked the door? I feel I am on edge to make sure he is secured where ever we go. I want to feel like he can walk around in stores without him taking off running or dropping to floor during tantrums. Since Caleb is an eloper (runner). We believe an autism service dog could be a huge benefit to Caleb. He tends to not be aware of the potential dangers he engages in around him. Since he likes to run, that has become life endangering in public settings, such as parking lots, theme parks, stores, etc. Caleb tends to walk into walls and doors, fall off the sidewalk as he lacks hand-eye coordination. His dog will act as a tether to keep him from wandering away, and can even find him if he is hiding. Possibly alert me when he is near doors if he is attempting to escape. Caleb experiences frustration and tantrums when he can’t fully communicate his needs. A service dog would be used as a calming technique and redirect him by applying Deep Pressure Therapy when he is upset or stimming. I am hopeful that when in unfamiliar environments and social situations a service dog will provide Caleb with the support he needs to cope through difficult situations. However, there is a lot of time and money that goes into training service dogs. With months of researching and applying to organizations, we have learned that most organizations encourage us to fundraise the money that will cover the rest of their cost for the dog. This year for Caleb's 4th birthday, we are praying we can raise as much money as possible to get him an ASD dog. We appreciate your thoughts, prayers and any donations that you can give to help Caleb get all the support he needs to succeed.