In North America, it is estimated that about 200 families of children with autism have a service dog.Autism Dogs assist in a variety of areas, including emotional bonding, socialization support, cognitive development, and physical safety. Such service dogs need to have special temperaments and undergo intense training over a period of about 12 months.The typical cost of producing such a dog is around $15,000 and the waiting list to obtain one could be as long as five years. Not anymore!

The essential program elements of Canine Magic are:

Fund-raising assistance for the family: The cost to our program for training, placing and providing follow-up services for one assistance dog is $8,500 with a minimum of $500 paid out-of-pocket. Given the often significant financial pressures on families with a special needs child, the added expense of acquiring and training an assistance dog – costs that are not covered by insurance – may be prohibitive for many families. The Canine Magic project fundraising efforts can help you finds ways to fundraise part or all of the cost of the dog as all funds must be paid before attending team training.

Selection process: Depending on overall funds raised annually, five or more families will be selected and remaining eligible families waitlisted. Selection will be based on a screening questionnaire and an in-home interview. Final decisions will be objective and made by a selection board.

Serious commitment: Volunteers and donors will be making serious commitments to bring this program to the community. Consequently, selected families are expected to commit to support the fund-raising efforts, attend related events, special training meetings, and a final team training program with the service dog. Failure to attend the necessary classes and events will result in disqualification— waitlisted families will then be moved into the program.