Service Dog for Christopher
Donation protected
A Service Dog for Chris
Every parent knows they would do anything, go to any lengths, to keep their child safe. For most parents of neurotypical children, this is accomplished by child locks, gates, and other child-proofing devices. But what if your child is not neurotypical? What do you do then, when your child cannot understand the risks they are taking or follow safety rules?
Laura is a single mom to Chris, who has autism. Chris is non-verbal, sweet, intelligent, and also a master of escape. She works hard to provide him a safe environment to grow up in and takes every precaution she can. But as Chris grows, it is becoming harder for her to find ways to keep him safe. He is at frequent risk for elopement and this makes daily life a struggle. How can you go grocery shopping, when your child is too big to sit in the cart and wants to run constantly? How can you take your child for a fun day at the park, when you worry that he might run out in to the street at any moment?
Currently, Laura says that she and Chris feel like prisoners in their own home. She is terrified to take him places because of the worry that he will get away from her; home feels like the only safe space. Chris is very fast and it only takes a second of distraction for him to be off. Chris’s risk for elopement is affecting everything in his life, particularly at school. He has already gotten away from his teachers at school more than once, and the school doesn’t have any more resources to offer. Because of this, Laura strongly believes the only answer is getting Chris an autism service dog.
A service dog could provide Chris a better quality of life! The dog would be trained to prevent elopement, provide emotional support, and prevent self-harming behaviors. Having a service animal is also particularly beneficial to nonverbal children because they can communicate with the animal without having to make eye-contact and the animal doesn’t talk back; it is very helpful for developing more verbal and social skills in a no-pressure environment. Another huge change that a service dog could make for Chris, would be the ability to be in a classroom setting with his neurotypical peers. This would give Chris the chance to grow, learn new skills, and make new friends! His current class only has five children – he would greatly benefit from being in a “regular” classroom!
All service animals require extensive and individualized training, and autism service dogs are no different. After much research, Laura found Northern Arizona Service Dogs. She believes this organization is the best fit for Chris. They have no waiting period (most people wait anywhere from 12-18 months for a service dog,) which is so important! Chris and Laura need this help now! Northern Arizona Service Dogs also provides a one-to-one training that would be perfect for Chris – he would be more focused on the training with the dog without the stress and over-stimulation that would come with a group-style “camp” training course.
This is the perfect fit for Chris, but a service dog from Northern Arizona Service Dogs costs $16,500 – a staggering and scary amount when Chris so desperately needs this! Any donation toward getting Chris his service dog would go a long way! Please donate, share with friends, and help Chris live a richer, more fulfilling life.
You can follow Christopher on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/christopherslifewithautism/
Every parent knows they would do anything, go to any lengths, to keep their child safe. For most parents of neurotypical children, this is accomplished by child locks, gates, and other child-proofing devices. But what if your child is not neurotypical? What do you do then, when your child cannot understand the risks they are taking or follow safety rules?
Laura is a single mom to Chris, who has autism. Chris is non-verbal, sweet, intelligent, and also a master of escape. She works hard to provide him a safe environment to grow up in and takes every precaution she can. But as Chris grows, it is becoming harder for her to find ways to keep him safe. He is at frequent risk for elopement and this makes daily life a struggle. How can you go grocery shopping, when your child is too big to sit in the cart and wants to run constantly? How can you take your child for a fun day at the park, when you worry that he might run out in to the street at any moment?
Currently, Laura says that she and Chris feel like prisoners in their own home. She is terrified to take him places because of the worry that he will get away from her; home feels like the only safe space. Chris is very fast and it only takes a second of distraction for him to be off. Chris’s risk for elopement is affecting everything in his life, particularly at school. He has already gotten away from his teachers at school more than once, and the school doesn’t have any more resources to offer. Because of this, Laura strongly believes the only answer is getting Chris an autism service dog.
A service dog could provide Chris a better quality of life! The dog would be trained to prevent elopement, provide emotional support, and prevent self-harming behaviors. Having a service animal is also particularly beneficial to nonverbal children because they can communicate with the animal without having to make eye-contact and the animal doesn’t talk back; it is very helpful for developing more verbal and social skills in a no-pressure environment. Another huge change that a service dog could make for Chris, would be the ability to be in a classroom setting with his neurotypical peers. This would give Chris the chance to grow, learn new skills, and make new friends! His current class only has five children – he would greatly benefit from being in a “regular” classroom!
All service animals require extensive and individualized training, and autism service dogs are no different. After much research, Laura found Northern Arizona Service Dogs. She believes this organization is the best fit for Chris. They have no waiting period (most people wait anywhere from 12-18 months for a service dog,) which is so important! Chris and Laura need this help now! Northern Arizona Service Dogs also provides a one-to-one training that would be perfect for Chris – he would be more focused on the training with the dog without the stress and over-stimulation that would come with a group-style “camp” training course.
This is the perfect fit for Chris, but a service dog from Northern Arizona Service Dogs costs $16,500 – a staggering and scary amount when Chris so desperately needs this! Any donation toward getting Chris his service dog would go a long way! Please donate, share with friends, and help Chris live a richer, more fulfilling life.
You can follow Christopher on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/christopherslifewithautism/
Organizer
Kathleen Ekholm
Organizer
Cottonwood, AZ
