We have written about service dogs for children with autism and mentioned two groups which provide training: 4PawsforAbility and Guiding Eyes. The response has been amazing! A lot of people want to learn more about these programs.
Many people have asked who is eligible for a service dog?
Guiding Eyes is a regional program and participants and has the following requirements:
- Child must be 2-10 years old.
- Child must have an autism diagnosis.
- Child must live within 2 hours of the Training School in Yorktown Heights.
- All family members must be open to a service dog in the home.
- No one in the home can be afraid of or allergic to dogs.
- Child must need the service dog for safety.
- The family must understand that an autism service dog represents a lifetime commitment.
- One or both parents must be able to spend five days and four consecutive nights at our Yorktown campus.
- Applications for this program are available only by phoning 914-243-2228 or emailing heelingautism@guidingeyes.org.
4PawsforAbility has the following requirements:
- No age requirements
- Two responsible adults (including 1 parent) must attend training.
- Cost of training is obtained through fundraising in cooperation with 4PawsforAbility.org.
Do you have a service animal? What organization did you use and what were your experiences. Tell us in the comments.
We got an autism service dog for my son with Asperger's Syndrome. We worked with a local organization called Klassi Kritters http://www.klassikritters.com and was very pleased. I have a blog that details our experience with our dog. http://dogandhisboy.blogspot.com We couldn't be happier with our dog and the organization we got him from!
Thanks for this, very much appreciated!
Thanks for this, very much appreciated!