Support Sirius' Training as Hannah's Autism Service Dog

GET SERIOUS ABOUT SIRIUS:

Support Sirius' Training as Hannah's Autism Service Dog

Meet Sirius (he’s the shaggy one). The cute one is our thirteen year old daughter, Hannah. Sirius is a three year old Goldendoodle. We got Sirius when he was a puppy to be an emotional support dog for Hannah. She had been diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) when she was five. She has always struggled with sensory issues, anxiety, not being able to emotionally regulate, having shutdowns and meltdowns, and more. But most people are not aware of her struggles because she does what is called “masking,” and she is a master at it. On the outside she seems fine, but on the inside, she is having a full blown panic attack. It is only when she gets home, where it is safe, that she falls apart and that is when the shutdowns or meltdowns occur. The SPD diagnosis explained some things, but there was so much more that the SPD did not explain. Even so, we worked as hard as we could to get Hannah the help she needed:

• Play therapy

• Occupational therapy

• Equine therapy

• Medication

• Sensory equipment

All of these things were in place, and yet Hannah still struggled. And that’s when we decided to get her an emotional support dog. From the beginning, Sirius showed that he has great instincts. Often, when Hannah gets upset, he goes to her and will either stand, sit, or lie down next to her, providing a calming presence. There are times that it works and he is able to help calm her. He’s not consistent, but his instincts are spot on. When Hannah was in the fifth grade, she began working with a new therapist who came to us one day with the possibility that she might have autism. My initial thought was, “How can she have autism? She’s brilliant.” Her therapist encouraged us to start researching and becoming better informed, which we did. And we found out that even a kid like ours – bright, creative, talented – can be on the autism spectrum. We decided that we needed an official, professional evaluation. That’s when we contacted The Burkhart Center for Autism Education and Research with Texas Tech University. We thus began the extensive evaluation process to determine if she had ASD: Autism Spectrum Disorder. This took a number of months.

The evaluator explained and taught us about autism, especially about autism in high functioning girls and how these girls present so differently from traditional autism in girls, and in boys. As a result, they are often not diagnosed, misdiagnosed, or diagnosed much later. This was exactly the case with Hannah, and in May, 2023, at the age of twelve, she was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (her presentation is in line with the historical diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome, a “high-functioning” type of ASD). Finally, finally, everything made sense – the meltdowns, the shutdowns, the problems with emotional regulation, the anxiety, the masking – everything. It finally made sense. After years of confusion, we finally had a much clearer direction of how to help Hannah. All along we’ve gained tools and understanding, but now, with the autism diagnosis, the correct diagnosis, there are so many more things that we can utilize to help her with her struggles.

One of those ways is with a service dog – an Autism Service Dog. Such a dog can provide help for kids with autism by:

• Providing calming, deep pressure therapy (lying across the child’s legs, lap, or chest)

• Helping decrease insomnia and nightmares

• Interrupting behaviors before a full meltdown occurs

• Supporting the child in social situations and interactions

• Helping decrease anxiety and tension in public

• Helping process emotions and regaining focus when overwhelmed

As I researched service dogs, I was quite discouraged. Most organizations selected their own dog, cost anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000, and had a wait list of two to three years. I finally connected with the South Plains Service Dogs organization. I was drawn to them for three reasons:

• They operate in our area

• They specifically train Autism Service Dogs

• If assessed and qualified, they will train your own dog, which meant no three year wait list, and a cost of about $5,000 instead of $30,000

Sirius had to undergo an initial two-part assessment to determine if he would even qualify for the extensive training. He passed both parts of his assessment and started his training in November, 2023!! We have already seen how Sirius is helping Hannah by calming her with deep pressure therapy. He has a great sense of empathy and that helps him be able to provide a calming presence when Hannah is upset. It is also obvious that when the two of them are out in public during their training, she is calmer and more confident. We are all looking forward to seeing just how much he can do for Hannah when he is fully trained!

So, it is time to Get Serious About Sirius. And that’s where you come in! Typically the training takes about two years. Because of Sirius’ previous obedience training, his trainer believes that his training may take a shorter time, and she encouraged us to budget for eighteen months. She does not require complete payment up front, but payment of $60 is made at the end of each session. Some sessions take place in our home, but most are in the community. Hannah and Sirius work together with their trainer in one hour sessions, once a week, and they also have “homework” in the community without their trainer. They will continue this until his training is complete and he and Hannah are able to pass his Public Access Test. Based on an eighteen month time frame at $60 per session with one session per week, we are looking at $4,320. There are a few other costs such as his harness, training vests, and expenses in the community that will run anywhere from $90 to $200, so our fundraising goal is $4,500. We have already been extremely blessed with a $1,000 grant from the Texas Elks Lodge Children’s Services. We are looking into some other areas for potential funding, but for now, we are setting our GoFundMe goal at $3,500.

Will you help us Get Serious About Sirius and help Hannah’s service dog get fully trained so that he can continue making a tremendous difference in our girl’s life?