Immy had always been a quirky character, full of life and spirit. Over the past few years, we have had to watch this vibrant child grow ever more withdrawn. As she has grown up, she has begun to struggle with life. Things that most children take in their stride began to cause Immy a great deal of distress and she became a shell of her former self. We recently received the devastating diagnosis that she is indeed Autistic and is suffering with extreme levels of anxiety relating to her difficulties in understanding the world. We have been offered medication to relieve the effects of her anxiety, however after much research and soul searching, we feel that this is not the right path for us, we do not want to lose our amazing daughter's sparkle. After reaching out to other families in a similar situation, we heard many inspiring stories of how therapy dogs had been a life line to children suffering with similar issues as our Immy. Suddenly, we had hope! Immy's obsession with animals was apparent from a very young age and she would always seem so content to be with them. So much so, that when she is at her most stressed and vulnerable, she will take on their characteristics. We have witnessed the soothing effects of our family and friend's dogs on Immy and this strengthened the appeal of an assistance dog further.After hours of research, we found Autism Life Dogs. They are an award winning, non-profit organisation who provide assistant dogs for children with Autism and related developmental difficulties. Autism Life Dogs are trained in a unique therapy programme to support children just like Immy.To say that this completely changed our outlook on Immy's future, is not an understatement. Hearing from families who have one of these amazing dogs was so inspiring and we knew we had to do everything possible to find a perfect fit for our daughter. This is where we need your help, a donation towards the training of one of these dogs will genuinely change our lives. Thank You.