Four Legged Advocates

Some time ago we were watching a late night TV program about amazing animals and saw this story about Karen Shirk and her service dog, Ben, who saved her life in a couple of different ways. You can watch the video here. She then went on to begin her own organization (4 Paws for Ability) to train and place service dogs with people who are otherwise turned away or cannot afford the long waiting lists of other organizations. I remember wondering whether or not a service animal would be helpful to our daughter and others on the autism spectrum.

About a month ago I saw several different posts on Twitter and various blogs about 4 Paws for Jude. This family is trying to raise $13,000 to get a dog from 4 Paws for Ability. I feel like the story has come full circle. I now know that service dogs can be helpful for people with autism, and I can have some part in helping others learn about this great organization.

Here are some action steps:

• Help Jude by visiting his website and exploring the various options for donating to change this little boy's life. According to their thank you page they've now raised $4062. I'm not sure when this was last updated.
• Check out 4 Paws for Ability and visit their "How to Help" page. Options include donating puppies, sponsoring puppies, foster caring for puppies, providing something from their wish list or as they say, "just give."