My name is Arjun and I am six years old. With the help of my parents, I am fundraising for a service dog from the 4 paws for ability organization that will help me with my daily life challenges. I was diagnosed with severe autism at the age of 2 and have developmental delays in cognitive, speech, language, motor functional skills. I have been in ABA, speech, and occupational therapies since I was two years and four months old and I have come a long way! These therapies, my parents and my excellent team of therapists have helped me get to where I am today. I can now count very high, I know my ABCs and I have started to read, write and do basic math! I can also ride a bike with training wheels, dress myself and do some basic tasks all by myself.

I still struggle with some day-to-day tasks and challenges come when I am frustrated or tired, when I am unable to communicate what I need or want and when my environment is overwhelming or uncomfortable. That’s where we hope, a service dog can help me be better. I have always loved dogs and we get along the best out of all the animals. A service dog will help me redirect my behaviors for when I am overwhelmed by being my source of comfort and familiarity. It will also be there as a friend for when I feel sensory overload and need pressure applied to calm myself. It will be there to help guide me when walking or going places that feel unfamiliar or unknown. It will be there to find me and keep me from getting hurt if I were to find myself accidentally alone.

Overall, my parents believe that I’m going to be safer and more comfortable with having an awesome furry best friend who will be with me at all times and in all situations - new and old. 

Thank you ahead of time for your consideration and for reading my story. I am grateful for any funds you can provide that will help me reach my goal.

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.