Let Me Tell You About Jacob

I'm on a mission.  I want to help my lovely high school friend, Nicole and her little boy, Jacob get a service dog.

You see, Jacob is a sweet, cuddly little boy who is almost three year old.  He just happens to be autistic.  You can read his full story on Nicole's blog HERE.  Recently, Jacob was evaluated and it was determined that he'd be an ideal candidate for a service dog.  As an advocate for dogs, and having grown up with them my entire life - I know the joy and stability that a dog can bring to a child's life.  And that's just a "pet"!  A service dog for Jacob could change his life.

Here is a blurb from Nicole and Jacob's First Giving Page:
We are raising money for 4 Paws for Ability to help them give Jacob and children like him service dogs to expand their quality of life. Jacob was born in June 2010 and was diagnosed in 2012 with suspected autism, his formal diagnoses coming in 2013: Autism Spectrum Disorder ("classic" autism), Sensory Processing Dysfunction and Expressive/Receptive Language Disorder. He is a bright, funny, sweet, physically gregarious and overwhelmingly curious little boy who could sincerely use the help of a service dog to enhance his ability to interact with the world at large in a safe manner and ease the strains that come with autism. He is considered non-verbal right now and has a hard time following instructions or commands, including responding to his own name, especially in unfamiliar locations and easily can find himself in danger without strict, stressful vigilance by any and all adults attending to him.

Now that Jacob has been approved for a service dog - the challenge to raise funds for the dog begins.  The recipient family of each service dog through 4 Paws For Ability must raise $13,000 of the $22,000 it costs to raise and train the dog. 

I'm proud to say that Nicole has raised a bit over $3,000 - but there's a long way to go!  If any of my favorite dog moms are going to be buying new toys for their herd soon, I might suggest checking out Schnoodleware Dog Toys and using the code: 4Jacob10 at checkout.  They'll be donating10% of purchases using that code to Jacob's service dog fund!

Just look at this handsome little guy!

(Picture stolen from Nicole's blog)