Hello follow Mumsnetters
I am the parent of an autistic teenager who is my only child. His condition is further complicated by co-morbid, often crippling OCD. For many years we were registered on various waiting lists in order to obtain an autism service dog. We have been through the gamut of application forms only to find that now, at almost age 14, my son is too old for the criteria to remain "in waiting" on one list and too young for the others. The ones he does qualify for, have closed their waiting lists due to the enormous demand. In desperation earlier in 2014, we decided to source our own trained dog. We lost a lot of money in this process. Much of it was recovered but not all. Sadly, it turned out that the dog, though well trained would never be registered with any of the UK or international bodies responsible for overseeing correct use of pets in caring/assistance roles and not be able to assist fully and have access to the public places necessary for it to be a true service dog.
The need for greater numbers of buddy dogs is well recognised. The National Autistic Society runs its own PAWS course for families who own a pet which can be trained to assist and support children and adults with autism and yet, still the access is very limited and it entirely defeats the object when the trained pet needs to be tied up outside a shop or post office or public toilet! Service Dogs have been stolen sadly.... A dismal reflection on our society.
I have started an e-petition via the HM Govt site and wonder whether Mumsnetters would be agreeable to signing up? On a personal level, we have now gone through an excellent breeder and our puppy is due to arrive at the end of November. It will attend training via the National Autistic Society. We hope that the dog will be first and foremost a companion for a young man who cannot access social relationships and who is at 14, very isolated.
Hopefully, the link below will work... And thank you, for taking the time.
epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/70158