Learn How We Make A Difference For Children
Responsibility with the Reward of Unconditional LoveLearn About Our Autism Spectrum Disorder Service Dog Training Program
Canine Companions, LTD is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that employs skilled trainers to train dogs that are matched to meet the needs of the child. Canine Companions, LTD recognizes that each Autistic child is unique in their own way and each child will have different needs. Special care is taken to ensure that as many details as possible are collected about the child and their family in an effort to understand the child’s individual needs. The trainers train the dogs for the specific needs of each individual Autistic child and works with the child and their family to create a lasting and successful bond between child and dog.
Meet Liam and his service dog Princess:
Liam is a 9 year old boy with autism spectrum disorder. His mom first started seeing the signs when he was just 2.5 years old, when he wouldn’t talk, had meltdowns in situations that were over stimulating to him, and did not like loud noises such as toilets flushing, vacuum cleaners, or environments where it was loud. He was non-verbal until he was 3 years old and had already attended speech therapy for 6 months. He struggled in daycare, had difficulty making friends and keeping them, and was crippled with the anxiety of being in a world that was so uncomfortable for him. Even with all of these symptoms, Liam was 8 years old before he was officially diagnosed. He also struggles with ADHD, generalized anxiety disorder, and PTSD from being verbally and physically abused and bullied in school.
Princess came to Liam on September 14, 2021 and he was the happiest, most excited little boy you would ever meet. His mom had spent months preparing him for the change and he knew that Princess would be coming to him to help him with his daily struggles. There is much training that Princess needs, but she came to Liam and instinctively knew some ways to help him. One day, Liam was experiencing one of his violent meltdowns and he was banging his legs against a chair, Princess instinctively went to Liam and stood between his legs and the chair so he could not hurt himself, and he stopped banging his legs on the chair. She has been an amazing blessing for Liam and he looks forward to the day that she is fully trained and can be with him everywhere he goes. He LOVES her!
Your donations will go to help cover the expenses for training Princess and other dogs like her. Please click the donation button to donate now. If you wish for your donation to go specifically to the costs for Liam and Princess, just add a note to the donation and Canine Companions, Ltd will make sure it is used for that purpose.
Meet Christopher and Kobe:
Hello, my name is Cristopher, and I am 16 years old. I love to play video games. I look like an average teenager but there is one problem. I am high functioning autistic with a mood disorder. While I look normal, I have a hard life. While most boys my age are out playing with friends, having fun with friends, and doing all the fun activities that teens do, I don’t.
Read my full story here.
Kobe came into my life May 2021. He has been a great support, now I just need him trained. Please consider donating so that Kobe can get properly trained. If you would like to donate, please click on the donation button, and specifically add my name or Kobe’s name to the donation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my donation tax deductible?
Yes, we are an approved 501(c)(3) and can provide you with a receipt. Our IRS ID is 383591544 for your tax records.
Learn About ASD
In regard to social challenges, children with ASD might experience difficulty in relating to others, such as being able to understand other people’s feelings or talk about their own feelings. Children with ASD often experience repetitive actions such as hand flapping or other behaviors that are known as stimming. Children with ASD can also have a strong desire to be alone, or a strong interest in people, but social challenges such as relatability, conversation, and play could prevent them from engaging. Having a service dog can help children with ASD overcome these challenges by giving them a sense of safety and confidence (Burrows and Adams, 2005). It can also help to spark conversation that would otherwise be uncomfortable for the ASD child.
Communication can often be a struggle for children with ASD as they often experience speech delays or are non-verbal. Children with ASD also tend to process incoming communication differently and often have difficulty understanding abstract thinking and communication. Having a service dog and teaching the children how to communicate with their service dog can help increase communication skills (Burrows and Adams, 2005).
Some behavior challenges children with ASD can face include, but is not limited to, over stimulation of senses that can lead to violent and self-injurious meltdowns or trigger the flight response, outbursts due to difficulty in social settings and communication, anxiety, defiant behavior, and difficulty with sleeping. Having a service dog that is trained to sense when a child is becoming overwhelmed or anxious can help limit the meltdowns and outbursts through actions such as deep pressure therapy. Having a service dog that is trained properly can also help the child to safe and confident which decreases cortisol (the stress hormone) levels and reduce anxiety and improve sleep (Burrows and Adams, 2005). The service dog can also be trained to interrupt self-injurious behaviors, such as scratching, hitting oneself, and head banging. The service can also be trained as an anchor to prevent the child from bolting during a flight response and alert a grown up should the child need the help of an adult in any situation.
References
Burrows, K. E., & Adams, C. L. (2005). Evaluating the benefits of service dogs for children with
autism spectrum disorders. Retrieved on September 16, 2021
at www.cnaf.net/documents/NationalServiceDogsStudy.pdf
“Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”, 2020; Retrieved from:
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html
Is Your Organization Endorsed by Anyone?
What Does My Donation Provide?
Are there other ways I can help?
Like all non-profit organizations, we need great board members, volunteers who can help with our fundraising car washes and other events, and our community to help share the message about our mission. We love our dogs and our veterans and we know that many of you also feel the need to give rescue dogs a second chance and to make sure our veterans get the services that make a difference in their lives. Please share our site with your friends and encourage them to donate. Even a little bit helps. If you want to volunteer, please reach out to find out how you can be of service. Email staff@caninecompanionsltd.org
Boy with Autism Receiving his service dog from Canine Companions, LTD
Send a Message
Open Hours
M-F: 9am – 5pm
S-S: by appt. only
Phone & Email
staff@caninecompanionsltd.org
Where We Are
While Canine Companions, Ltd can work with individuals and families across the nation, our headquarters is currently located in Gastonia, North Carolina. We are incorporated in a total of 5 states to include Michigan, North Carolina, Mississippi, Arizona, and California. We currently have permission in all states to utilize the space of certain facilities for the purpose of training and boarding pups but have the goal to obtain the funds to purchase our own properties so that we can provide this amazing service more readily by having kennels and training facilities that are fully staffed by our nation’s veterans. Please click the “Donate Now” button or visit one of our Go Fund Me links to help contribute to this amazing goal.