A therapy dog could change how our daughter Ruby Bo can communicate, learn, cope with change, manage anxiety, and even to make friends.
Waikato
A therapy dog could change how our daughter Ruby Bo can communicate, learn at school, cope with change, manage anxiety, and even to make friends.
A therapy dog could mean our family, including two younger sisters, could do more things we currently avoid because the circumstances and environment are too overwhelming for her.
The total cost of a Therapy Dog is $14,375 which is well beyond our means. In addition to this page we'll be applying for grants to fundraise.
Ruby Bo is awesome; we want to share her story to support our fundraising, while being respectful of her as a little person. She has a multiple diagnosis of Selective Mutism (SM), social and separation anxiety and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Selective Mutism is a rare anxiety disorder that inhibits sufferers from speaking. In general, Ruby Bo doesn't speak outside the home. She will rarely initiate communication which makes important things like needing to go to the toilet at school, or alerting someone when she is hurt, impossible. Trying to learn while she is overwhelmed with anxiety takes its toll. The stress of SM on a child is huge. The anxiety affects her moods, behaviour and even her body.
Many of her ASD traits are masked by the SM during school – however at home we deal with explosive meltdowns, verbal and physical aggression, and often long tearful episodes followed by manic hyperactivity.
We’ve learnt that the best way to help Ruby Bo with SM and ASD is to lower her anxiety levels. A Therapy Dog will be able to radically change how Ruby Bo copes with anxiety in a way that traditional methods have so far failed, largely due to her dual diagnoses.
A therapy dog can help her with both SM and ASD and hopefully enable her to fully participate in school and to finally be the bright articulate little girl we see when she doesn’t have the constant burden of anxiety.
But wait...there's more! We were so impressed with the training and case studies of Therapy Dogs NZ we discussed with dog trainer Wendy that we would like to make the dog available to the wider community to benefit from such a wonderful asset.
Whangamata Area School, Age Concern Accredited Visiting Service and Moana House Residential and Hospital Care, are all enthusiastic of the opportunity to have a therapy dog available in the Whangamata community. Our family is also in the process of becoming emergency and respite caregivers with Oranga Tamariki and have no doubt a therapy dog will have a positive effect on children placed in our care.
You can find our more about the extensive training a Therapy Dog receives at https://therapydogs.co.nz/
Ruby Bo's Mum and Dad.
All funds will go towards a therapy dog. If for any reason we were unable to get a therapy dog, we would donate the funds to one or more other therapy dog fundraisers. Our target is less than the full cost of a Therapy Dog so we do not expect any surplus.
Charlie is home! 6 September 2020
Last weekend we spent three days in Tauranga learning the ropes before taking Charlie home with us. He loves the beach and he and Ruby Bo are doing great.
We are very humbled, and incredibly grateful for the fundraising support to reach this special milestone for our family.
Once Charlie has settled in and is responding to commands from us as his new pack leaders, we look forward to sharing Charlie with the Whangamata Community.
Thank you for supporting Ruby Bo! Nga mihi maioha (in appreciation).
Rae!!!!!!!!!!!! That was the response when I told the crew you'd donated. If there was a kindy teacher Hall of Fame - you would make it xx
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