Service Dog for Addison
Donation protected
We have started this GoFundMe page to help start raising money for a Service Dog for Addison. We plan on doing several different fundraisers as well but know that some may choose to not purchase things like t-shirts or be able to make it to events we may put on and wanted to set up a way that people could give if they choose to.
For those who don’t know Addison personally, Addison was Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Social-Emotional Processing Disorder and Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Through all of the hardships and challenges he faces, he continues to make remarkable progress each day and is thriving with a little extra help in his NT (Neuro-typical) Kindergarten classroom this year. Although there are areas that he is thriving in and areas he is adjusting to very well, there are still a good amount of things that are extremely hard for him. These areas are the reason we have put in much thought on how to best help and support him.
We have decided that getting a Service Dog for Addison is the best choice we could make to help him in the most areas of struggle. We have also made the choice to not get on a waiting list with an organization and instead we will be working with a professional breeder and service dog trainer here in Michigan. The reasoning behind this is lengthy but for an Autism Service dog it is a minimum wait of 2years right now across the country and that is only after you are accepted which can be a year long processes or more in itself. There is also a lot of information out there that supports a better connection being made between child, particularly autistic, and Service Dog when the dog is raised and acclimated to the constant noises, distractions, tugging and pulling that NT “normal” children in the house bring but also this allows the dog to learn from the start the sounds and impulses that their handler (who they work for: Addison) has. Training can never start too soon and this also allows us to constantly be working with our trainer to truly tailor the service dog to Addison's needs.
Some of the things that a Service dog will be able to help Addison with are: Safety, Redirection, Grounding, Calming and Sleep just to name a few.
The cost of a well bred and suited dog for Service work, to be bought and trained, is expensive and we are going to try every way we can think of to raise the money to give Addison the best chance he can get at being able to handle this already crazy and hard world we live in. Rough costs so far for everything (a pure bred specifically selected for Service Dog training puppy, 2 years worth of training and boarding at training kennel, travel costs for the trainer to be able to work with Addison and parents, vet fees for shots and testing to be done to make sure medically the dog is suited for service work and does not have any medical issues of its own) is between $15-20k. If we manage to raise more than needed we will be donating any and all extra funds to help another child in need receive a Service Dog but will also keep updating the cost as numbers become more final.
We hope that you will help us SHARE our story and stay tuned for updates on upcoming fundraising items and events.
Thank you from Addison's Entire Family <3
*All financials will be handled by Addison's Grandma, Malinda Steider VanVynckt, who is graciously helping Addison out by setting up a private fund that the payments will be made from through paypal to the breeder&trainer and vet. All financials will have a paper trail and detailed info on what the money was used for, why and who it went to. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out or email us at [email redacted].
Traverse City, Mi.
For those who don’t know Addison personally, Addison was Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Social-Emotional Processing Disorder and Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Through all of the hardships and challenges he faces, he continues to make remarkable progress each day and is thriving with a little extra help in his NT (Neuro-typical) Kindergarten classroom this year. Although there are areas that he is thriving in and areas he is adjusting to very well, there are still a good amount of things that are extremely hard for him. These areas are the reason we have put in much thought on how to best help and support him.
We have decided that getting a Service Dog for Addison is the best choice we could make to help him in the most areas of struggle. We have also made the choice to not get on a waiting list with an organization and instead we will be working with a professional breeder and service dog trainer here in Michigan. The reasoning behind this is lengthy but for an Autism Service dog it is a minimum wait of 2years right now across the country and that is only after you are accepted which can be a year long processes or more in itself. There is also a lot of information out there that supports a better connection being made between child, particularly autistic, and Service Dog when the dog is raised and acclimated to the constant noises, distractions, tugging and pulling that NT “normal” children in the house bring but also this allows the dog to learn from the start the sounds and impulses that their handler (who they work for: Addison) has. Training can never start too soon and this also allows us to constantly be working with our trainer to truly tailor the service dog to Addison's needs.
Some of the things that a Service dog will be able to help Addison with are: Safety, Redirection, Grounding, Calming and Sleep just to name a few.
The cost of a well bred and suited dog for Service work, to be bought and trained, is expensive and we are going to try every way we can think of to raise the money to give Addison the best chance he can get at being able to handle this already crazy and hard world we live in. Rough costs so far for everything (a pure bred specifically selected for Service Dog training puppy, 2 years worth of training and boarding at training kennel, travel costs for the trainer to be able to work with Addison and parents, vet fees for shots and testing to be done to make sure medically the dog is suited for service work and does not have any medical issues of its own) is between $15-20k. If we manage to raise more than needed we will be donating any and all extra funds to help another child in need receive a Service Dog but will also keep updating the cost as numbers become more final.
We hope that you will help us SHARE our story and stay tuned for updates on upcoming fundraising items and events.
Thank you from Addison's Entire Family <3
*All financials will be handled by Addison's Grandma, Malinda Steider VanVynckt, who is graciously helping Addison out by setting up a private fund that the payments will be made from through paypal to the breeder&trainer and vet. All financials will have a paper trail and detailed info on what the money was used for, why and who it went to. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out or email us at [email redacted].
Traverse City, Mi.
Organizer
Malinda Steider VanVynckt
Organizer
Traverse City, MI