VANCOUVER, Wash. (KOIN) — Specially-trained service, therapy and comfort dogs can be lifesavers for people dealing with disabilities, illnesses and certain traumas.
For some kids with autism, service dogs can protect them when they need it most.
One local mom is trying to raise the thousands of dollars it will cost to buy her son an autism anchoring service dog. It’s an investment she says could potentially save his life.
“He is the happiest little boy you’ll ever meet,” Brandy Pruett told KOIN 6 News.
Pruett’s 2-year-old son Bentley was diagnosed with autism in July. She says she worries about his safety every day.
“He has an issue with elopement. He will run away, he doesn’t just walk anywhere, he runs,” she explained. “It terrifies me. I’m scared that I’ll be distracted by my other son and [Bentley] will just get away into the street or something.”
It’s a challenge parents of kids with autism are faced with on a daily basis.
Kirsten Becker says she knows Pruett’s fears all too well.
In 2006, her 8-year-old son Sam, who also had autism, suddenly took off running at Crater Lake.
Ten years later, Sam still hasn’t been found.
“I’ll be grieving for my son until the day I die,” Becker said. “No one should have to do that.”
In 2013, Becker started the nonprofit Autism Anchoring Dogs. The organization trains giant breed dogs to deal with some of the tendencies kids with autism can have.
“We provide a special harness connecting the child to the service dog, and the service dog to the adult handler — who is in charge of the family team. If the child runs or starts to wander off, the dog braces itself, and voluntarily goes down preventing the child from going further than the end of the equipment tether.”
The organization’s autism anchoring service dogs often weigh between 110-150 pounds, almost twice the weight of a young child between 4-10 years old.
If a child with autism starts to take off running, the dogs are trained to brace themselves and sit back, acting as a counterweight.
“It would make such a huge difference in [Bentley’s] life,” Pruett said. “He would be able to walk with us and we wouldn’t have to worry about him running away.”
But a specially-trained service dog is a big investment, costing $15,000 or more.
Pruett, who’s a stay-at-home mom, is committed to raising the funds needed to get Bentley a furry friend. She says the dog would give her son a chance to live his life.
“I want Bentley to have some independence… to live his life and love it and be a little 2-year-old,” she said. “It would mean so much. It could potentially save his life.”
Filed under: Animals, Health, Human Interest, Local News, Oregon, Top Video, Washington
