Service Dog for Korbin

Hi, my name is Kelly Ashling and I'm raising money to help pay for a service dog for my son Korbin.

Korbin had a normal birth and toddlerhood but at 27 months old got an upper respiratory infection and within a couple of weeks regressed into Autism. He received his official diagnosis at 30 months old from the Florida State University First Words Project and lost many skills he had, such as eye contact, response to name, gross and fine motor skills, as well as the ability to speak.

By the time he was 3 years old he was in multiple therapies addressing deficits in these areas and struggling to adapt to these challenges in the world around him.

As his peers continued to develop and grow, Korbin struggled with daily tasks and activities and I began the continuous fight to get him the best care team possible and help him learn to cope with every day things that suddenly became difficult or impossible. The last time I heard Korbin's voice was November of 2017.

The following year, Korbin developed Epilepsy;

in 2019 we received word that the heart defect he was born with required immediate open heart surgery; and in 2020 it was discovered that he also had an immune disorder.

Korbin has endured many tests, procedures, surgeries, specialists visits and hospital stays, with our family driving as much as 8 hours and working with doctors all over Florida, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Tennessee, and even the United Kingdom.

I have been searching for a service dog since 2020, but the global pandemic

and my lack of knowledge about the industry led me to organizations that took advantage of our situation, used us for money and ghosted us or denied that they had the ability to help kids like Korbin. He sat on many waiting lists for months and years only to never have anything come from all of the money, effort and hope that we poured into each endeavor.

This year, after reaching out to trainers and organizations all over the country, I've learned what makes a good fit for a service animal and a kiddo like Korbin. Highland Service Dogs and their staff from Harmony, North Carolina have proven to be just the place we needed. Their amazing trainers have been able to pair us with a golden retriever named Sadie and on April 21st, the two met and bonded in the most precious way. We

are hoping to be able to bring her home after she completes the rest of her training that has been specifically designed to help Korbin with many of the environmental, sensory and life skills challenges he faces daily.

FAQs

What will Sadie help Korbin with?

Korbin does not have an understanding or sense of danger or what could cause him harm. He elopes without regard to these things and Sadie will be trained to utilize the "Emergency Down" and "Tethering" skills to keep him safe in public places and crowds.

Korbin also suffers from anxiety and sensory issues and Sadie can provide him with "Deep Pressure Therapy" and "Tactile Stimulation" when needed to help him regulate his environment and be calmer in stressful situations. Service dogs like Sadie can also serve as motivation for communication and social interaction

For more information on how service dogs can perform these tasks and what they look like please see The Benefits of an Autism Service Dog .

Where will the money go to?

The total cost of the Autism Service Dogs provided by Highland Service Dogs is $15,900. Additional money is needed to cover the costs of travel for Korbin and I to do our initial meeting with Sadie and the staff and we have to cover the travel costs of Sadie and her primary trainer(s) when she is ready to be delivered. They will come to our hometown

of Tallahassee, Florida and work with me (the primary handler), Korbin, his therapy staff, and our family to introduce Sadie to her new environments and teach us how to take care of her and utilize her extensive skills.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here, donating, sharing or just thinking of us on this journey. We are so grateful for the support from our community and the ability we've had to make it this far and be chosen among the many on the long waiting list. I'm hoping to make Korbin's care team complete with Sadie the service dog becoming a part of our family and the future of his growth.