Support Holden and his future National Service Dog
We are looking for your help and
support on, yet another, journey we are embarking on. We have
decided to pursue an Autism Service Dog for Holden. Holden was
diagnosed with Autism over 6 years ago now. We have completed
full-time Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) programming, gone through
many Speech Therapists, a few Occupational Therapists, and at least
one Behavioural Consultant. We are so pleased and impressed with
all the hard work Holden has put in over the years and couldn’t be
prouder of the young man he is becoming. We believe Holden is ready
for another type of support, an Autism Service Dog. We believe that
a Service Dog will help support Holden with the next phase of his
life. Holden has been accepted to the National Service Dogs (NSD)
program.
NSD is an amazing non-profit
organization that trains certified service dogs for people on the
Autism Spectrum and for those suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD), NSD is currently offering the PTSD program to
Veterans and First Responders in Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta.
NSD’s Certified Service Dogs are
valued at $30,000 over their eight to ten year working life;
however, each dog is provided free of charge to approved clients.
NSD receives no government funding and relies entirely on donations
from the general public, corporate sponsors, fundraising events, and
community supporters. We are asking for your support in fundraising
for this outstanding organization.
We have given the idea of an Autism
Service Dog a lot of thought over the years. We have noted as
Holden ages that the gap between Holden and his peers is growing
ever wider, and, although he is often interested in what his
friends/peers are up to, he seems more interested in the neighbours
pets than the kids. Holden also can be a “flight risk”, at times,
he has been caught trying to leave the school building, and often,
should something catch his eye from across the street, can be seen
disregarding his surroundings and heading that way. Holden also
suffers from a severe peanut allergy and is not the most diligent or
even aware about what this could mean for his health and safety. In
fact, currently, Holden is not able to carry his own Epi-Pen. Holden
can also easily get frustrated and anxious with certain situations
or when things unexpectedly change and don’t meet his expectations.
Holden doesn’t tolerate crowds or loud noises very well.
All of these things bring us to where
we are now in our journey with Autism. Service dogs are well known
for their work with the Blind and in Epilepsy patients. In recent
years, the same approach in training dogs for pairing with Autistic
individuals has proven to be quite effective with safety, behavior
modifications, companionship, and increasing independence in people
on the Autism Spectrum. Autism Service Dogs help to bridge the gap
between a child and their peers at school and the community. Many
parents have reported that their children are able to better cope
with difficult environments with their service dogs present. The
service dogs help modify behaviors and reduce anxiety in
overwhelming public settings. We also hope that Holden will gain
some independence and learn how to assist with the daily care
routines with his service dog, such as grooming, feeding, watering,
exercising and relieving. Our ultimate goal is that his service dog
will accompany Holden to school with educational goals to increase
communication, independence and socialization.
As always, your unending patience and
support for Holden and our entire family means more than you will
ever know…THANK YOU!!
Autism may not have been the path
that we would have chosen, but we sure LOVE the tour guide.
Yours truly,
Karolyn, Kevin, Holden, Noah, and Isla
Thank you for supporting Holden and his family; please
provide the requested information so we can process your donation.
