A Service Dog for Troy

Help us raise money to provide a service dog for Troy Whitesell!

Troy has Down's Syndrome, ADHD, autism, medium to severe hearing loss, and cannot talk. This limits his communication skills greatly. He only eats very fine, pureed foods and baby cereal due to a life-saving surgery he had after he was born. Troy does not understand what could hurt him.

Troy's family has been wanting to provide a service dog /therapy dog to help him with routine activities that he does daily.  Studies have shown that a service dog can greatly improve the behavioral, language, and social skills of mentally handicapped individuals.  However, the costs of a service dog is substantial. This is why we have decided to set up a page for the Whitesell family to raise money for a service dog for their son.

Research has revealed that children with autism who had a service dog will go to that dog for companionship and comfort when they often will not seek this companionship with family members. The value of a dog in the life of an autistic child does not stop short at helping the child grow socially and to develop emotional connections that can transfer to their interactions with people. There are organizations that train certain dogs to become a practical help to not only an autistic child, but also the child's caretakers. Parents and caretakers of autistic children have plenty to think about when it comes to safety.