Sam needs an Autism Service Dog to help him cope
This is Sam. Sam is 12 and has autism. Because of Sam’s disability, he has frequent meltdowns due to his frustrations and inability to communicate effectively. The behaviorists say he is a very “complicated” case. As he grows larger and stronger, he becomes even more of a challenge. Sam’s rages have broken lamps and furniture, and caused bodily damage to himself and others.
Sam has no real friends. A characteristic of autism is the lack of social skills. Couple that with his inability to communicate effectively and you can see why he has no friends. Nobody ever comes over to play or calls him for a playdate. He has never been invited to a birthday party.
Sam frequently wanders. He wears an ID bracelet and is registered with the local police department but there is no way to track him if he gets lost. He has wandered away several times and returned to his parents only by the grace of God. He must be constantly supervised, even in his own home, because he has sustained mysterious injuries in the past that he cannot explain.
Living with Sam is certainly a challenge for the entire family, especially his big sister, Rachel (age 17) and big brother, Seth (age 18). Family outings and events are planned around what Sam can tolerate and the house looks more like a therapy center than a home. For many years, the older kids didn’t bring friends home because they were embarrassed by their brother’s unpredictable behaviors. They love their brother but they don’t always know how to interact with him. Mom and Dad can no longer go away overnight because there’s nobody qualified to care for Sam for more than a couple of hours. Mom has adjusted her work schedule to be home when Sam’s home whenever possible.
Sam’s parents have spent a fortune getting Sam the medical care and therapy he needed, at the appropriate time for each treatment. With the biomedical intervention, ABA therapy, PT, OT, and speech therapy, Sam can now care for the family cats independently and has learned to be gentle with them. He is a whiz at the computer and is a leader in his resource classroom at school where he is well liked by his peers and teachers. He can form sentences with prompting and is interested in reading. He is finally to a point where he can help care for his own animal and as a pre-teen, is entering a very turbulent time with hormones and changes. An autism service dog is exactly what he needs at this stage of his life…a friend.
4 Paws for Ability trains autism service dogs who can interrupt a meltdown, soothe frustration, be a friend, and can act as a social bridge between Sam and other children. The dog is also trained at tracking and can be tethered to Sam in public to prevent him from becoming lost. If he does get lost, the dog can find him quickly.
Dogs who receive this highly specialized training are expensive. It costs $13,000 to raise and train a service dog like the one Sam will get. 4 Paws has a unique opportunity which allows families to raise the funding for one dog in order to qualify for a dog and make the placement process faster. Most agencies have a waiting list that is at least 5 years long.
You can make a donation today in HONOR OF SAM that will bring Sam closer to getting his service dog and you will be supporting a very necessary and worthwhile local organization.
Please put IN HONOR OF SAM BERNOTAITIS in the MEMO section of your donation check and make the check out to: 4 Paws For Ability. Mail to: 253 Dayton Ave., Xenia, OH 45385. Your cancelled check is your receipt for tax purposes.
We greatly appreciate your support. Come visit our blog at http://4pawsforsam.webs.com/
Note: I highly endorse 4 Paws for Ability as a source for extremely well-trained service dogs. The organization is sound and its goals exceptional. Judy Vorfeld.