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National Service Dog Month



September is National Service Dog Month! 

I thought this would be a great opportunity to share some information on service dogs and specifically why Harper is getting a service dog.

An Autism Assistance Dog can be specifically trained in the areas where a individual child needs assistance. 

The trained Tasks a Autism service dog can preform: 

🧩Tracking- this one was a big one for us. Harper can display wandering and elopement types of behavior. In some situations she does not respond to her name so you must run faster than her to catch her, and our girl is FAST! A service dog is trained to track its child by their scent if they do wonder away. 

🧩Tethering- A service dog is trained to wear a harness and a second leash attaches the SD(service dog) to the child. This allows peace of mind and a sense of safety for us when out in public. We do not have to worry about the eloping and wondering since Harper will be attached to her SD and he will not allow her to wonder away from us. 

🧩Behavior Redirection- Harper and a lot of children with Autism can experience meltdowns and sensory needs. An Autism Assistance Dog can provide trained assistance with calming, comforting and redirecting commands. These techniques are very helpful when a child is having a sensory meltdown, overstimulation, or needs assistance with redirecting a unwanted behavior. 

🦮🐾🦴Now to the fun part for a SD and their child! 

💙A Best friend- Having a SD that is bonded closely to their child is an opportunity for the child to have a best friend who loves and accepts them unconditionally without judgment. 

💙 Better Sleep- We can use some of the SD’s task trained skills to provide comfort to help Harper to fall asleep and stay asleep. 

💙Social Bridge- Other children may not understand or know how to relate to a child who is displaying meltdowns and repetitive behaviors. When a child with autism has a SD, suddenly they are the most popular person on the playground or in public and everyone wants to interact with them.

💙Communication- Communicating with a SD to preform a specific task or trick can be used as an incentive to spark communication. 

💙Transitions- Change can be very hard for Harper Jo especially in a overstimulating environment. A Autism Service dog has the public access rights to provide a source of comfort and consistency when environments change and anxiety might be high. Many families are able to go more places because they have the service dog. The dog is not only able to provide the task trained skills in public, but also their presence helps to deescalate a situation.


🦮There are so many types of service dogs: Autism Assistance Dog, Alzheimer’s Assistance Dog , Diabetic Alert Dog , FASD Assistance Dog , Facilitated Guide Dog , Hearing Ear Dog , Mobility Assistance Dog , Multipurpose Assistance Dog , Seizure Assistance Dog , & Veteran’s Assistance Dog 

🦮We are going through 4 Paws for Ability. 

They are the largest organization whose primary mission is to place service dogs with children. One of the only organizations to have no minimum age requirements.Veterans Service Dog Program since 2010. Places over 100 service dogs a year. Over 1,600 since founded in 1998.

4 Paws is a Non-profit and relies heavily on the help of volunteers and donations. The total fee for a service dog can range from 40,000 to 60,000. 4 Paws requires their families who are obtaining a service dog to fundraise $20,000 to help support the training of the dog they are receiving.


Harper has been assigned to the Plum Class and will be meeting her service dog in 2025! 

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