Hello, we are fundraising for an Autism Assistance Dog for Alex, who is 14 years old.

Alex has had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) since he was 11. PTSD impacts all areas of his life. Alex requires a bespoke education package because he can no longer attend a school setting due to the trauma he experienced. Even his ability to take part in activities he enjoys has been severely impacted. Alex’s situation is complex and we don’t want to give away too much personal information, but he is Autistic and has severe OCD. However, Alex has the opportunity to be supported by an Autism Assistance Dog to help him build a life of confidence and independence. Alex’s Assistance Dog would be trained to respond to signs of anxiety in the relevant way, such as, interrupting harmful behaviours through distraction, providing Alex with Deep Pressure Therapy (DPT), the dog could also be trained to help reduce debilitating OCD rituals. Those are just some of the benefits which would enable Alex to feel safer and more regulated, and empower him to access the wider community. You can read more about the benefits here: https://www.autismdogs.co.uk/our-service/benefits-of-an-autism-assistance-dog

Assistance Dogs are in very high demand, so we are delighted that Alex has been accepted onto the ‘Autism Dogs Charity’ (charity number: 1199343) programme. This is a wonderful charity with a unique programme. The charity is led by Autistic adults who have a real understanding of the needs of Autistic young people, due to their own lived experience of being Autistic in a non-Autistic world. Autism Dogs Charity tailors the dog training to the needs of the child, using a rigorous analytical process of the child’s needs, while working closely with the child and family. The charity will support us for the duration of the life of the dog - even when the dog retires.

The full cost for the residential training of an Autism Assistance Dog is approximately £23,000. The charity is able to partially fund the programme, so we as a family need to pay £14,900. We saved £4,000 for the deposit, so we now need to raise £10,900 to pay the balance. We don’t like having to ask for support, but when your child is in need, you do what is necessary. We have given to many charities over the years, and Alex has himself fundraised for charities close to his heart. Unfortunately, there are no charities that offer grants to help towards the cost of an Assistance Dog.

Any amount that you can spare, however small or big, will make a huge difference to us. If you can’t donate then we would be grateful if you can share our Just Giving page with anyone you think might be able to help. Thank you for donating, and/or sharing. This Autism Assistance Dog will change Alex’s life!

Also, if you know of any fundraising streams that might be available to us, please do let us know.

You can see Alex in the photo above with Scooter the Surf Therapy Dog, and Scooter’s brother Brody. Alex has been learning to surf with Scooter and his amazing owner, who also has PTSD. Alex loves his time with Scooter, but he now needs his own Assistance Dog to provide him with support 24/7.

If you would like to find out more about Autism Dogs Charity, please visit: https://www.autismdogs.co.uk/

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Please note, the charity can claim Gift Aid from the donations that allow, but any Gift Aid cannot be used towards the cost of our dog. Gift Aid is a relief that must be used by the charity under charity commission and gift aid rules. 

Thank you! ✨️