USA today has found that once again, animals can help children
with special needs. Dogs especially, help autistic children learn empathy and
other social cues.
http://www.4pawsforability.org/autismdogs.html
is a service just for autistic children that provided service dogs to families.
Something that is so special about these dogs, parents say, is that they do not
know that their children are different. So they treat them just the same as
other people. This helps them retain dome of the normalcy of life.
Rachel, I went to the 4 Paws for Ability website and found some interesting information. The first thing that caught my eye is that it costs $22,000 to train and place a service dog with a child with a disability. It went on to say that the families participate in fundraising as volunteers in order to qualify for a free service dog. The families are expected to raise at least $13,000. Then, each dog has to be recertified every year and that costs between $1,500 and $2,000. The other thing that I found interesting was that no family is turned away as long as the child's doctor approves the dog and it's safe to place the dog in the home.
ReplyDeleteWhile it may seem expensive for a family to raise that 13,000- I love the way they put it. Many agencies will say their dogs are free and put them on a 3-5 year waiting list. Can you imagine waiting that long to get your dog?! This way, they can be actively fundraising in that time, and some get their dogs very soon after applying.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes- One of the reasons I choose this agencies was because they never turn anyone away. This is wonderful, because who are we to say who a dog would or would not help? Also, because there is virtually no waiting list. Once you raise your money, you receive a dog!