Service Dog for Autism

Short discription: ?

   1) Organizations don't train service dogs for adults with autism, only children... (people will always donate to children, but not adults unless they're in the news, dying or in the military. Point blank, organizations who would attempt to train dogs for adults on the spectrum wouldn't make it without funding) 

   2) Those of us who are functioning enough to care for them, have to hire trainers to train our own service dogs in order to gain independence. Otherwise we are forced to wait for friends and family to take time out of their lives to help.

   3) This is even greater expense then applying for a program dog and I need the communities help. 

   4) Corporate offices say they will only donate/sponser things for children or that effect the goodness of a community as a whole -- this is an oxymoron for adults on the spectrum. Autism is alienating from community by its very nature. 

   5) There are only grants available to apply for program dogs. Which brings us back to #1.....

I need help.

Longer discription: ?

   Autism is a not a childhood issue, children with autism grow up into adults with autism.

   Service dogs are a necessity for moderate functioning adults on the autism spectrum who are capable of caring for them.

    Where children have parents to care for their every need, adults require friends and family to drop everything and run errands with them, this is both embarrassing and annoying for both parties involved.

    Adults on the spectrum require independence, they deserve it. Service dogs don’t tell you “Wait a min, I’m just looking for one more thing...” meanwhile your having a meltdown this very min and a meltdown waits for nobody. For people like me a service dog is important to function in every day life.

    Unfortunately there very few organizations who train service dogs for adults with autism, so few in fact that there is an eleven plus year waiting list to the closest organization to me. imagine how much can happen in a persons life in eleven years, how much you would miss out on. 

    Due to this fact I have had to hire a private trainer to train my past three service dogs. I have always put money by for my next dog as I gain my new one, that way when its time to retire my current dog the next one is already in training. This time my sewer pipe broke, it ate my SD fund and forced me to open a credit card (wasn’t in debt before) it’s eating up my SSI just to pay the monthly min payment. 

    My eight year old retired to a beloved pet and I am now without a working dog. I have found two conditates who look to my trainers and myself to have wonderful potential. 

    These days it costs between $8000.00 - $25,000.00 to privately fully train a service dog for an adult on the autism spectrums individual needs.

    Most companies I have talked to tell me they only donate or sponsor things that help the community as a whole, not individuals. This is an oxymoron when it comes to autism.  Autism (especially moderate/med functioning) is a secluding disability. Those on the spectrum are not a part of the community, but removed from it by the public itself due to public stigma brought on by Hollywood stereotypes. 

    Where do adults on the spectrum go when SD organizations only train autism service dogs for children who already have parents to care for them?

    Where do adults on the spectrum who require their independence get their independence? 

    Would you help spread the word about my goal?