Community Corner

Family Raising Money for Son's Autism Service Dog

A Newtown family is currently on the waiting list for an autism service dog for their son, Marcus.

A Newtown family is raising money for a service dog that they believe will have several benefits for their autistic son, Marcus.

Karen Rosenburg, mother of six-year-old triplets, said the family is currently on the waiting list for an autism service dog from Lancaster-based United Disabilities Services. 

Rosenburg believes the autism service dog will have many potential benefits for her son, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 4.

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Autism service dogs can be used to keep a child from bolting in high stress situations or from wandering off, she said. The dogs can also be trained to track the child in the event that they do wander off. 

The service dogs also help autistic children by providing sensory input by sitting, leaning or laying on the child.  “They can also be trained to give a child a signal when they are about to have a meltdown or to interrupt a repetitive behavior,” Rosenburg said.

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Service dogs can provide emotional and social therapy for the autistic child, she added.  “They give a child with autism something to talk to peers about. There is research that proves that an encounter with a dog is proven to reduce the stress level in children with autism.”

The family needs to raise $5,000 for the dog’s training and veterinary expenses. So far, they’ve raised $2,665, Rosenburg said.

"His triplet brother and sister, Owen and Nora, are pretty excited about this dog too,” she said.

She said the dog would likely be a lab, boxer or poodle. UDS trains the dogs as puppies and are usually placed when they are about two years old, Rosenburg said.

The service dogs are placed based on the animal’s temperaments and needs of the family.  “So we might wait a few months before they have a dog that is suitable for us, or it could be up to two years,” Rosenburg said. 

Marcus, who is in the autism support class at Goodnoe Elementary School, won’t take the dog to class on a daily basis, his mother said. But she said she hopes the dog can be a guest in the classroom from time to time.

Rosenburg said she would like to be able to introduce the dog to the autism support students in the New Hope-Solebury School District, where she works as a teacher.

Click here to view the family's online fundraising page. 

Check out the family's Facebook page here.


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