Yesterday we got a phone call from our top organization on our wish list that they have accepted our application for my son to receive an autism service dog. WOOT!!! *happy dancing* So where did this begin? It was suggested by his crisis team that a service dog would be of great assistance to Lexi because how much he connects with animals. We already have two family dogs and three cats. In fact our cocker spaniel we found roaming the streets of a local town abandoned by his owners ran right up to my son and sat down by his side and basically adopted us.. One of our cats who has now passed from cancer chose my son at the animal rescue. The people who ran the rescue were fascinated and thought she was ferrel until she walked up and curled up in my son's lap. Our cocker spaniel is 9 years old now and although he still thinks he is a puppy, he is not and our other dog is a silky terrier/guinea pig looking type gal I took in who has some serious health issues and will have a shorter life then a typical dog but I am determined to make it a happy and loved life.
So what benefit to getting a SERVICE dog when we already have pets? Well, research shows that these animals that are raised and trained in specific ways change the lives of those they serve. I think it has been on different news shows how certain dogs can be trained to smell cancer or low blood sugar or even seizures before they happen. Those dogs make me nervous, actually-I'm always afraid they will start sniffing me and indicate that they found something. An autism service dog is somewhat similar. These dogs are raised and trained to be way smarter then people at times, calm and steady. They help distract their partner when they are anxious, depressed or doing repetitive motions such as "stemming" which is a typical autism behavior of rocking, pacing, flapping, etc that helps the person calm themselves. They also help create a social bridge for their handlers. My son has huge social anxiety and becomes extremely overwhelmed in crowds and crowded public places. A dog can be trained to stand in a certain place to help their handler feel secure, lean on them to calm them and give a go between for the handler so people come up and talk to the dog and by proxy the autistic person becomes social.
My son also has terrible trouble sleeping at night. This is typical for folks on the autistic spectrum. Throw in the Anxiety Disorder and the Bipolar and you have a recipe for disaster at night. Service Dogs have been proven to help their handlers feel safer, calmer and less alone at night. Some are even taught to lay on top of their handler and give a deep pressure sensation to calm them and help them fall asleep. It is the late night hours that I am most worried about and the hope that a dog would be able to assist my son and watch over him in some ways to help him feel safer, will be my biggest relief. We are all exhausted from trying to navigate the wee hours of the morning anxiety and depression. Would it be wrong to ask for a bull mastiff to just lay on top of him until he passes out every night? Some dogs can be taught to help stabilize a runner, go after a kiddo who takes off and so on. It has also been shown that kiddos bolt less when they have a service dog. The benefits to a specially trained service dog are countless and go way beyond these specific details. If a dog can just help my son feel less alone in the world and hep create a bridge for him to step out and learn new social skills, become more independent and secure in himself then it would be an answer to prayer.
The suggestion for my son came out of the recent difficult year that we have had an his continuing anxieties, social awkwardness and depression. It also came out of the fact that my son is 15 and wants to one day live on his own. I believe that a service dog can help him transition into the world a bit easier. He can learn to take the dog with him to jobs and to school. Although it will be probably longer then average before my son might launch into the world if at all, a dog would allow him the extra strength to step forward.
So now we move to the next steps. The contract will be signed and a down payment given and then a plan to raise the money for the dog begins. Yes, these dogs are costly to raise and train as you can well imagine. Many of these organizations say that it costs approximately 30,000 to raise these canines. Seriously, I almost had a coronary when I heard that number. Although there are many volunteers who give so graciously of their time to work with the animals, the cost is still high. Being a service dog is a huge job and to be certified for full public access is no easy task. HOURS upon HOURS upon HOURS are given. This organization requires the families only to raise $12,500 and the rest is covered by donations to the organization directly. The waiting list for our dog is 12-18 months so in that time we need to raise the $12,500. Okay, I've done fundraising before...that is still a lot of bake sales!
This organization is our top pick because it is local to us and the training requires the families to go and stay for most places. Here we would have no travel expenses. We can do follow up and visits with them after placement and if we have questions they are very accessible. They do not mind cross over diagnosis such as my son has not only autism but bipolar as well and Tourettes. Some organizations do not like folks with diagnosis OTEHR then autism. I also like that they do not require you to raise ALL of the money and THEN the timeline begins and most awesomely, they assist you in raising the funds. They have packages and someone to help guide and direct your fundraising and will support your by bringing dogs to events or help with articles in the news, etc. There are some organizations that would offer a service dog but it can not be brought to school or it can not be kept with the family when it retires and so on. I am so grateful that this place meets all of our needs and that we can go visit and meet the dog as it is being trained and my son can find hope in the process while we wait for placement. My son needs hope and I think this dog will be a light for him to reach towards and once placed to help brighten his own light and path into the world. I am so grateful. The answer to our prayer has just begun.
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