aaron's service dog update

aaron's service dog update

my sister, aaron and i went up to brigadoon to meet aaron's dog. i learned a lot about service dogs today! i thought we'd meet "the one" since this was aaron's second visit... but not so. we went up and met with seven dogs. the trainer, denise, brings some of her up and coming dogs in, one at a time, to watch them with aaron. she watches how he reacts and interacts with the dog, and how it interacts with him. today, gypsy looked like the best match. they'll go back in a couple of weeks and meet with them again, and see if any more connections are formed. finding "the dog" is the first step. once they find the dog that clicks best with aaron and his needs, they will start training it to meet his specific needs. it's quite the process. i'm sure we'll learn so much more as we go.

my sister, danica, will post more pictures of our trip today on aaron's blog... and lots more info about our trip today. thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers!

aaron with denise (the trainer) & beau (the dog)

today is

world autism awareness day

this is aaron. he is my sweet nephew. he has autism.

did you know…

• 1 in 150 children is diagnosed with autism
• 1 in 94 boys is on the autism spectrum
• 67 children are diagnosed per day
• a new case is diagnosed almost every 20 minutes
• more children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined
• autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
• autism costs the nation over $90 billion per year, a figure expected to double in the next decade
• autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases
• boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism
• There is no medical detection or cure for autism

please visit www.adogforaaron.com to find out more about austism and recognize the signs. and if you're so inclined please consider donating toward a service dog for aaron, every little bit helps! you can click on the donation button to the right, just make sure you add aaron's name on the designation line.