- K
- J
Hi, we are the LoBue family and we are fundraising for a service dog for our son Bodie. Bodie is a sweet, loving, and active 3 (soon to be 4-year-old). In October 2022, he was diagnosed with Autism. Bodie has significant speech delays and still says few words. We have enrolled him in speech therapy since October 2022 and behavioral therapy since March 2023; often paying out of our own pocket. He has difficulty falling asleep/staying asleep. Bodie will sometimes have outbursts where he will throw himself on the ground, run away, or perform other potentially dangerous actions. Bodie gets extremely excited and will flap his arms or shout and while it is not bad behavior it is something we need to address as he will begin attending school.
We have extensively researched the benefits a service dog could provide to Bodie. They include:
-Deep pressure therapy, light pressure therapy, and redirection
-The Service dog could assist Bodie if he is anxious, panicking, or having a meltdown/overwhelming thoughts
-It would assist Bodie with social interaction and ease social anxiety along with potentially helping him make new friends.
The above list is not all-inclusive but is intended to provide you with information on tasks a trained service dog would perform for Bodie.
For further information on benefits of service dogs for children with Autism please refer to the below linked website(s):
In order for Bodie to be placed on the recipient list we must put down an initial donation of $9,500 followed by an additional $7,500 before the service dog can be placed with Bodie upon completion of training. The selection and training of the service dog does not begin until the organization has received the initial $9,500 payment. It typically takes 7-12 months for a service dog to be fully trained. With the training time in mind a best case scenario would be for Bodie to have a service dog before he turns 6.
The organization we are working with, "ASA Service Dogs, INC." is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. ALL of the money donated will go to providing a service dog for Bodie.
A service dog receives special legal protections not given to therapy dogs or emotional support dogs. It would be allowed in any public location where Bodie is allowed to include airplanes/airports, theme parks, schools, and playgrounds.
This is a link to their website:
If you are able to help we would be grateful for any amount donated as every bit counts. We will be putting up a significant portion of our own money as a service dog for Bodie would be a major benefit for his continued success in navigating school and social situations.
If you are unable to donate you can still help by forwarding the link for this fundraiser to friends/family/coworkers who may be able to.