SERVICE DOG FOR LUKE
Many of you
know that our 9 year old son Luke is on the Autism spectrum. The road with an
autistic kid is rough. It is painful to watch him struggle socially and heartbreaking
for me to answer him when he asks why no one invites him over to play.
Everyday life situations are huge battles with him, causing him great stress
and anxiety. Many times he runs away to escape the situation putting him in
potential danger. A couple of
months ago, I began researching places that train dogs specifically to assist
children with autism. These dogs are trained to sense the anxiety coming on and
to help defuse the common meltdowns that autistic children experience before
they explode. They are taught to track and are even tethered to the child who
runs off. When a child is stuck in a repetitive behavior, the dog is taught to
redirect them. They stay in the child's bed with them at night so the child
feels secure enough to stay in their own bed. And of course, since it is a
service dog, it is that constant companion that gives them a sense of security
because it goes with them everywhere. Needless to
say, this kind of dog is expensive. After researching, I found a reasonably
price facility that is only 2 hours away. Back in September, we were able to go
there, meet the staff and a couple of dogs being trained for other families.
Luke loved it and did great interacting with the dogs. He now talks often of
what he will do when he gets his service dog. We really believe that this would
be a huge turning point for Luke. To have a best friend by his side to help him
through his struggles in life would be such a blessing to him and our family. It is
roughly a 2 year process. This time period includes being on the waiting list,
matched with the right dog that bonds with the child and then training the dog
for that child's specific needs. The trainer even come to the child's house and school
to train the dog there! The total
cost is $9,900 (which is a good price considering I saw another
organization that was charging $13,000!). The first 25% ($
2,475) is due when the application is turned in and we are put on the waiting
list. The next 25% ($ 2,475) is due when the child is matched with the dog and
it begins its training. The final 50% ($ 4,950) is due when the dog is
delivered, usually 4-6 months after being matched with the child. This has not
been an easy decision for our family to make and it's going to be even more
difficult moving forward in the process financially. Would you please
consider being a part of helping Luke get his best friend? Click the
donate button and enter any amount you would like to give. Every little bit
helps and would mean so much to our family. We will keep you posted on
the process. If you would
like to learn more about the organization, click HERE to check out their website. There are great written and
video testimonials on the site.
