Austism dogs

[dressyone]

I heard about dogs that help kids with autism.  Does anyone have first hand knowledge if these dogs really do help?  I have a friend who has a child who has moderate austism and is seeking to get one of these dogs for her child.  Thank you.  

[starbeach811]

Thank you so much.  I am so glad my friend is working on getting one of these dogs for her child.  Thanks again, you have been so helpful.  

[skepticalpeach]

They definitely help with social issues. All of a sudden you will find that other kids will think that it is awesome that your child has their own dog. They will ask predictable questions that will hopefully become easy for your child to answer. What is his name? What type of dog is he? Etc. This can help with speech and social interactions. My daughter is a runner when she gets upset and this makes it difficult to go places. Her dog helps keep her near us. They make special leashes for autism assistance dogs. He also puts his paws on her and licks her when she is upset. He helps keep her from running away at the play ground. He is always there for her and she is very happy to have him around. She finally has a friend who doesn't care that she is different.

[starbeach811]

I just read with grea interest this post on autism dogs.  I too know someone seeking to obtain one of these dogs.  I will let them know about your forum.  But I have a few questions, 1. what kind of fund raisers work best for this cause?  2.Is the dog trained for each individual child's needs?  3.  Have you heard of success stories?  I thank you in advance for your help.  

[dressyone]

Thank you for responding.  My friend does plan on going with a non profit agency and is trying to raise money for this cause.  I guess my question is do you think these dogs can help a child who has social issues.  My friend can not take her child to any social events.  The child acts up in social situations.  I am hoping this dog will help this child and was just wondering if anyone has had success.  Thank you so much.  

[skepticalpeach]

Here is the group on service animals I started. http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Service-Dogs/show/1365?controller=forums&action=show&id=1365&camp=msc

Feel free to message me with any questions. The benefits of service dogs for autistic children is a relatively new idea, but it makes sense. The cost is about $10,000. The agency we went through required that we come up with half of that. The benefit of this was we did not have to wait a few years to get the dog. Of course you can always purchase a dog and team up with a trainer, but I think it's much easier to go with a non profit agency. This way if the placement doesn't work out for some reason you are insured.

[dressyone]

thank you, where do I find this group?  

[specialmom]

Hi there,  we have a member here that has a service dog for her daughter.  She's started a group called 'service dogs' and I'm sure will have lots of information for you!