Train Alfie as an Assistance Animal

Hi there, My son Zach (now 12) was scared of dogs for many years after being jumped at by a dog when he was around 4. I started thinking maybe this could change for him. I rang Zachs amazing OT and she encouraged the idea and let me know there was a new therapist doing pet therapy (what are the chances?). We booked in and Zach met Levi - a stunning Labrador therapy dog. The connection was instant and the fear started to fade. He learnt about regulation with Levi. Levi accidentally nipped him one day but Zach recovered well. Now it was time to find our own dog. So many breeders not breeding during COVID. And those that were had waiting lists until next year due to everyone buying dogs We had one breeder left to call. My husband rang him and he was an older retired gentleman who breeds Labradors. My husband explained our reason for getting a dog. His wife is a social worker and so he explained he understands autism and how beneficial puppies can be in calming and teaching regulation. He told my husband his next 13 litters of puppies are taken and all have waiting lists BUT he said don’t tell anyone but in the litter born the night before there was one extra puppy and he was happy to offer it to us. He asked us to phone back in a few weeks while he looked for the puppy in the litter that would be best suited. He let us know he had the exact puppy who was the smallest and smartest of the litter! When we went to meet our puppy the connection was instant. Zach cried when we left. Our Alfie (wise counsellor) Jasper (treasure) is handpicked for our family and has been a blessing to us. As our son struggles to engage socially and with mainstream education, we desire to have Alfie trained as a proper assistance dog to help Zach regulate and be able to enter environments that he may not otherwise be able to without Alfie's help. Alfie has already passed his first test but we don't have the finances to pay for the training involved living on 1 income due to the support required for Zach. We tried to access funding through NDIS but were denied the funding that way. If you can help us - we believe this training will make a huge difference to the life of our family in Alfie helping Zach regulate. There are parts of Zach's journey that we have not been able to yet build success in, but with Alfie we have really seen first-hand that things can change which is why we want to invest in this training. Thankyou in advance for your kindness and generosity.