A Therapy Dog for Nathan
Help us afford a Therapy Dog for our son Nathan who has Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD and Anxiety.
Auckland
This is our son Nathan. Nathan is 9 years old. He has a diagnosis of (high functioning) Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD and Anxiety. In January this year our lovely family dog Indie passed away. Nathan doesn't know anything about this as we know that he would not be able to cope with the news - he believes that Indie is living with another family and that the family has moved away. He talks about Indie every 10 minutes, all day long and talks about wanting to visit her. He frequently cries because he misses her. It absolutely breaks our heart. He has since massively regressed since she passed away.
We have had the very good fortune to have been accepted to receive a therapy dog for Nathan: a little 5 month old Labradoodle called Louis. Louis has been trained to support a child like Nathan in all kinds of situations that he finds difficult. This means that Lois can go to school with Nathan, on public transport, to the shopping malls and swimming lessons and visiting other children. This will help Nathan to have more confidence to try new things and widen his world. Lois will be Nathan's new friend and they will have a very close and loving bond. Lois will also help to calm Nathan when Nathan has a meltdown or feels upset.
The cost of a Therapy Dog is nearly $15,000 and we have one month to pay this amount in order for Lois to be placed with Nathan. If we are unable to afford this amount, we will need to wait for the next litter of puppies in November, and we just don't think Nathan will cope much longer without the dog and companion he desperately wants. Please would you help us raise this amount so that we can help our son?
Nathan struggles to be away from his dad for more than an hour or two even with mum. He is unable to attend school and spends a great deal of time at home, because that's where he feels safe. Nathan's anxiety prevents him from engaging socially with other children, and Nathan genuinely struggles with everyday life. He is really lonely without his friend Indie, and we really want to help Nathan engage more in life and in school so that he gets the most out of life. We believe Lois will help Nathan SO much - please help us reach our goal! Deadline for fundraising is 30th August 2019.
Use of funds
5 months intensive training as a Therapy Dog - $13,800
Annual follow-up training - $750
Latest update
Nathan Struggling - 1 week to go 22 August 2019
About a week ago, Nathan came to my place and started asking me a lot of questions about his previous dog Indie and why he couldn't see her. He talks about Indie all day, and in fact, Indie's name is a vocal tic for Nathan (a word that he repeats over and over again and something that he says more when he's excited or anxious).
As he began talking about her he started calling her "Indie, come! Come, Indie! Come Indie!" He was calling for her from an absolutely broken heart. He then apologised to Indie and then broke down into sobs in my arms. I cried too.
Soon after, Nathan picked up his toy unicorn and announced "this is Indie." I said, "oh, has the unicorn got Indie's essence?" and Nathan replied, "No, this is literally Indie." Ever since then, Nathan has called his unicorn Indie and treated it as if it is his actual dog Indie. He refers to Indie (his unicorn) all day, and I believe this is a comfort to him.
We are due to receive Nathan's therapy dog in one week's time. It's a lot of money and in honesty, I am struggling with the financial cost of it, but we absolutely cannot afford to wait any longer for a dog to help Nathan. Nathan last saw Indie 8 months ago, and he needs the therapy that only a dog can bring him. I want to thank each one of you that has contributed to our fundraising campaign. It means so much to me, and to Nathan.
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