We are raising money to buy an Autism Assistance Dog for our son, Teddy. We feel so lucky to have recently been accepted and are on the waiting list to be matched with an assistance dog.

Teddy is 5 years old. He was diagnosed with autism when he was 3 years old. He is a happy and very energetic little boy, who loves to be outdoors.

Teddy’s autism means he struggles with social anxiety, sensory challenges, communication, meltdowns and more. The anxiety that Teddy suffers when being out of his home is so upsetting, causing him to have meltdowns that can escalate very quickly and calming him back down is extremely difficult. It makes it very difficult to go out as a family.

An Autism Assistance Dog does so much more than help with daily tasks. They bring comfort, friendship, reassurance, independence, and security in ways that can transform a family’s life.

Each dog is trained to perform a number of tasks to help their handler to cope with challenges in their day-to-day life. Here are some examples of how these amazing Autism Assistance Dogs can help their handler:

• Deep pressure therapy

• To reduce anxiety

• To prevent and manage meltdowns

• Help to access public places

• To encourage healthy sleeping patterns

• To play sensory games

The full cost of an assistance dog is around £23,000! This covers months of specialist training, caring for the dog and preparing the family for a successful partnership. The charity ‘Autism Dogs’ kindly cover £8,000 of the costs, leaving us to pay £14,990.

We believe having an Autism Assistance Dog would be life changing for Teddy and for us as a family.

Any donations will be so appreciated!

Thank you so much

*Any funds not used for Teddy's Autism Support dog will be retained by the charity to support other families*