By Danielle Kutchel
We all know dogs are man’s best friend, but for one young Beaconsfield girl a dog will be more than that: it will totally transform her life.
Four-year-old Abigail and her family are raising money for a therapy dog to assist her in her everyday life with things like sleeping and eating.
Abigail was diagnosed at the age of nine months with a very rare chromosome deletion called AUTS2, which caused difficulties feeding, delayed fine and gross motor development and vision challenges.
Now aged four, Abigail is actively engaged with intervention therapists and is surrounded by a supportive community.
Her mum Sarah says she still has some difficulties with regulating her emotions, eating and getting to sleep.
But they believe a specially-trained and certified therapy dog could help with that.
Sarah said seeing Abigail with a dog is “remarkable”.
“She’s magnetised to them,” she explained.
“It’s astounding how assertive and in control of herself she is and how confident she is when she has a dog around.”
Already, Abigail engages in animal assisted therapy with a psychologist.
A therapy dog at home would be trained to help her settle and fall asleep at night, and would sit with her at meal-times to ensure she remains focused on eating and gets the right calorie intake for her needs.
The dog would also keep her safe by engaging her in play at an appropriate sensory level.
The total cost to purchase, raise and train a therapy dog is approximately $25,000 which is well out of the family’s reach.
“Whilst we are so very fortunate to have the NDIS support for Abigail’s therapy services, it is outside their scope to fund a therapy dog,” Sarah said.
The family has set up a MyCause fundraiser to raise $10,000 towards a therapy dog from Victorian not for profit Dogs for Kids – and they’ve been blown away by the response from strangers.
“It’s the most generous gift and it is life changing for our whole family and I just want to say thank you,” Sarah said.
“Especially in Covid times, a lot of people are doing it tough.”
They’re now on the waiting list with Dogs for Kids and while there is no timeline as to when they’ll receive the dog, Sarah is confident this is the right decision for Abigail.
“Seeing her with and around dogs and her passion for them and how they change her for the better … I think she’s someone that needs a dog around her forever, as the best thing for her.
“I think it’ll make a huge difference.”
Donate to Abigail’s cause at www.mycause.com.au/abigailsnewfriend and follow her story on Facebook at A Therapy Dog for Abigail.
