Dakota Foster seeks autism assistance dog
This is Dakota Foster. He is 5 years old and in Kindergarten. He loves to color, draw, play with Legos, Power Rangers, Transformers, and to play with his sister, Cheyenne.
To look at him with his big blue eyes and contagious smile, you would think he is just like any other five- year-old-little boy. But his world is so much different from ours. He is living with Autism, ADHD, and SID (Sensory Integration Disorder). He processes the sights and sounds of the world around him differently.
Sometimes, his dealing with things can consist of repetitive behaviors such as spinning or repetitive speech. Other times he just cannot handle them at all and has what is known as a “meltdown.”
To someone who does not know what is going on, this “meltdown” can look like a child just being a "brat." But it is very different! It is something that he cannot control. It is his only way of dealing with that situation.
Another aspect of Dakota’s life that is very different is his inability to make friends easily. Due to his Autism, he has problems with the social aspects of life. It is very difficult for him to make and keep friends. Also, children like Dakota are prone to wandering off, despite their parents’ best efforts to keep them from doing so. Dakota is no different.
He has climbed out of a window early in the morning while his parents still slept, only to be found a short time later by his mother as she drove around the area in the family van. He also wanders away frequently in the store, usually while at the checkout, forcing his parents to leave their items to go and get him.
This is where the Autism Assistance Dog comes in! 4 Paws for Ability trains their Autism Assistance Dogs in behavior disruption, tethering, tracking (search and rescue) and other behaviors specific to the child.
Tethering is used to keep the child from wandering off when you are in a public place. This provides not only safety for the child, but independence as well! The child is tethered to the dog and cannot wander more than 3 feet away. Also, the dog can track the child, should they wander away. 4 Paws is the only organization that trains its Autism dogs for search and rescue!
Dakota has been approved to receive an Autism Assistance Dog through 4 Paws. But we have a fundraising requirement that must be met before a dog can be placed with him. For every dollar we raise for 4 Paws, Dakota receives a point. He needs a total of 14,000 points to receive his dog. Please find it in your heart to help our son find peace, friendship and independence by donating to 4 Paws in Dakota’s honor! Thank you so much and God bless!
Note from Judy: 4 Paws for Ability is an amazing nonprofit organization located in Xenia, Ohio. It provides highly trained service dogs in many areas, but does require that approved families raise funds to train the dog. Please consider this child whose life will change significantly upon receiving an assistance dog. Read the testimonials. Reading them could change your life. It changed mine.