Meet Eli Kendall! Eli is a 4 year old boy with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He was diagnosed at age 3, and is a joyful presence in the lives of his family and friends. Eli is sweet, loving, curious, and stubborn. He is incredibly intelligent, and could even read words by age 2! His autism has given him both gifts and challenges. One of his biggest challenges is emotional and physical regulation, which stems from his delayed speech and communication difficulties. Eli understands most everything said to him, yet struggles to express himself through language. Can you imagine knowing everything said to you and expected of you, but being unable to respond in clear ways? Naturally, this has caused Eli developmental delays and a lot of frustration. Eli's service dog will be specifically trained in behavioral intervention and support to both keep him safe and help regulate him in times of distress. Eli loves dogs, and through his cues, he has led us on this journey to raise the money to provide him with his best buddy. We have been blessed with an incredible community of love and support for Eli on his journey and every single donation, however small or large makes an impact on his life and our family's life. We love you all and thank you for your support.

Training a service dog to meet our child’s requirements can be very costly. On average it costs between $40,000-60,000 to raise, train, and place a service dog at 4 Paws for Ability. While 4 Paws for Ability fundraises to help cover a significant portion of this cost, families are tasked with raising $20,000 of that amount or $23,000 if receiving a poodle, doodle or papillon. We hope that we can receive assistance from our beloved family and friends to help make our service dog dream a reality.