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As I loaded wet clothes in the dryer, something felt terribly wrong. Spooked, I ran out of the laundry room and through the house. Within a few
seconds, the crisis became clear. Our boy Nick was gone. As I scanned a bedroom, a bent window screen waved at me, showing me the window lock Nick had undone to escape from the house. Yelling my son's name, I ran outside. Though my search felt long, I found him within minutes. He was sitting in a lawn chair giggling, clueless to harm and the scare he put me through.
                                                             
This is our "normal" life with our 13 year old son Nick. At first glance he looks like a typical boy. However, it doesn’t take long to see he is different. Born with developmental disabilities, Nick is severely autistic, nonverbal and seizure prone. He has overcome numerous obstacles involving hyperactivity, communication, medical concerns, and behavioral issues since his birth. Yet, he needs a lot of support, and we have found more of that for him through an autism assistance service dog. In September 2009, after attending a two week training session, we brought home Nick's dog, Red, from 4 Paws for Ability in Xenia, Ohio. 4 Paws is an agency that specializes in training and placement of service dogs for adults and children affected by disabilities.

Through the many who helped us raise the $13,000 needed for Red, Nick has a service dog that will help him cope with the many challenges autism brings to his life. These challenges include:

  • A disruption of his senses. At times, for Nick, touch feels like sandpaper scratching against his skin. Other times, a solid tap you or I would sense easily is as difficult for Nick to feel as a graze of a cotton ball. His hands feel like they are covered with think gloves, making fine motor tasks such as holding a pencil difficult. Numbed and altered senses like this all over his body rely on running, jumping, spinning, heavy pressure or head slapping to be regulated.

  • Altered perception of sound. Voices sound like radio static or two different radio stations playing at the same time. As a result, one or two words sometimes come through clearly, making language learning difficult. Nick acts impulsively to get what he needs because it's easier than asking with words. When frightened, angry or confused, Nick has no words to help him cope. Instead he manages it with an emotional outburst.

  • Lack of judgment of unsafe situations. Without someone to constantly supervise him, Nick is prone to wandering off or getting into compromising situations, as seen in the incident of escaping from our house.

Red helps Nick cope with these challenges through search and rescue, behavior disruption, tethering and sensory interventions. These things help Nick calm his sensory issues, encourage social interaction, increase independence in community outings and provide safety.

We welcome you on our journey with a special dog that will change life for an autistic boy and those around him, both now and in the years to come in which Red will serve him.
A BOY AND HIS SERVICE DOG
Thank you to the following business' and organizations for their donation of finances or goods and services in our fundraising forv Nick's dog:

Ameriprise Financial
Anderson Race Management Co.
Arbonne International, Independent Consultant Ruth Froese
Chartwell Financial
Coopers Restaurant, Eagan
Dentistry for Children and Adolescents, Edina
5th and 6th Grade WAVE Group, Grace Church, Eden Prairie
Gopher Electronics
Great Harvest Bread Co., Burnsville
Medical Technologies, Inc., Burnsville
Partners in Excellece, Burnsville
Power of Relationships, Golden Valley
Realm Promotions
Sam's Club Foundation, Shakopee
Thermo King

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See a day in the life of Stella and her autism assistance dog Suzy Q. We met Stella's parents at fundraiser for Nick's service dog.