A Shadow for Logan: Help Logan Get a Service Dog

Hi everybody! My name is Logan. I am 9 years old, and I am Autistic. My favorite toy is my blue stick which helps with my imagination. I like playing on my iPad (my favorite game is Dragon City.) I also like jumping on a trampoline, swimming, and listening to music.

Logan’s mom and dad here…thanks for taking the time to read our son’s story. Logan is an incredibly sweet and bright young man. When he was a baby, I (mom) would hold him and tell him “you can change the world with your smile.” It has been an honor as Logan’s parents to introduce him to the world around him and help him share his smile. This honor has also come with some immense challenges. Processing complex information, social communication, following detailed instructions, and experiences outside of routine can be very difficult for Logan. Helping him through these challenges takes patience, practice, and skill. To this end, Logan has completed several years of a variety of therapies in an effort to help him connect with others and increase his independence. This has been helpful, but he has yet to receive the support he needs in a public or charter school setting to maintain safety and growth. This is what led to our decision to remove Logan from his recent school and transition to homeschool. While it presents a new set of challenges, we believe homeschooling Logan will provide him the structure and environment he needs to thrive.

In addition to this, we now have a new and very exciting opportunity for Logan to be paired with a service dog. This is an opportunity that would be AMAZING for him, and it is something we have been researching for quite a while. During this process, we found Kaarla from Gilford Goldens, who has placed over 70 service dogs for people of all needs. They just happen to have puppies available for placement right now, including Shadow, who Logan has met and could be paired with.

The catch is that it is very expensive, and we need to raise as close to $25k as possible in order to make this happen. The costs associated with traveling, acquiring, and maintaining a service dog are substantial. Your generous contributions will go directly towards the training and care of the service dog, and will help ensure that Logan enjoys all the benefits of this life changing gift.

We have no doubt that Logan will benefit from having a service animal. He struggles with anxiety and gets overwhelmed easily. He will often avoid going to the playground or lake if there are people he does not know. It is hard for Logan to go to the end of a grocery store aisle alone or even with his brother. He will frequently choose not to participate in activities he enjoys when he is nervous about interacting with other people. For Logan these situations can lead to meltdowns that take significant energy to recover from. Having a dog immediately helps with these issues, and can provide Logan with a sense of independence and confidence. With Shadow 's support, Logan will experience increased safety and companionship, reduced anxiety, and increased independence.

Logan has taught me more about the world and possibilities beyond what I could have imagined, and I am incredibly grateful for the awareness Logan has brought to my life. My hope is that more people will get to experience who Logan is, which we believe a service dog will facilitate. Your help will be greatly appreciated. Even if you can’t donate money, please consider sharing this page to support Logan and help bring Shadow into his life. Any and all support is appreciated more than words could ever convey.