letter for help

     

Stuck in the home. Ever been snowed in? Ever been too sick to drive yourself to the doctor?

Not everyone who is disabled and in need of a Service Dog are blind nor are they all in a wheelchair.

There are a lot of legitimate disabilities that aren’t so obvious. Autism is one of them.

Autism is straight up a pretty$hi#y disability. It’s isolating, frustrating, demanding it’s irritating. And that’s just for the person on the spectrum, then add in all of the people who have to live with and or around the person.

Not everybody with autism is the same, in fact no two are alike. All have a mixture of varying degrees of communication and distraction issues, environmental over-stimulation causing freezing-up/shutdowns without notice just to name a couple. For older teens and adults on the spectrum who meet the ADA requirements and are capable of caring for a Service dog, find them invaluable.

Myself I am a young adult who is stuck sharing a home with my mum… when you are a young adult still living with your mum, said home feels more like a box. Especially if you can’t leave said box without friend, family member and or Service Dog. When friends grow up and marry, have kids and the white picket fence with the huge walk-in closet, you are stuck with family members to help you run the simplest errands. This causes more strain in the family relationship than the average family relationship. Neither party deserves the stress or inconvienence. In the end Service Dogs are absolutely necessary!!

Service dogs unfortunately are not cheap, especially because SD organizations do not frequently train SDs for adults on the spectrum (usually only train them for children who require parent supervision, so don’t need SDs – oxymoron, right??), so adults who actually require Service Dogs for their independence have to hire expensive private trainers with the experience necessary (if they can find them) to help train their own partners. A pet a Service Dog does not make. SDs have to undergo extensive training, proofing and continued training throughout their lives. Not every potential candidate makes it either, as not every dog has what it takes. It takes time, blood, sweat and tears to get a great partner.

My latest SD is eight years old and has earned his retirement to couch potato status, and I am now fundraising for my next partner.

Want to help?  Spread the word or donate? 

My fundraising page…

Help me reach my goal, so that I can have my      moment and then get on with my life like everyone else. Some people need a smart phone to get to the milk in a grocery store… I just need my next Service Dog.