Therapy Dog for Abigail

At the young age of 9 months Abigail was diagnosed with a very rare chromosome deletion known as AUTS2, after months of difficulties feeding, delayed fine and gross motor development and vision challenges. Abigail has a twin sister Sage and an older brother Finn.

Filled with uncertainty after such a rare diagnosis I have set out to connect Abigail with amazing early intervention therapists and surround her with a supportive community.

Being a one-in-ninety-five million kinda rarity is something Abigail takes in her stride, despite developmental delays and challenges regulating her emotions many times a day, she is undoubtedly one of the funniest and most affectionate children you could ever hope to meet. She is determined and strong-willed, and in her short life thus far has captivated the hearts of those who know her.

Turning 4 in March, Abigail has a remarkable love of music and a formidable bond with dogs. When around dogs she becomes more alert, engaged, assertive and in control of herself - anyone that has witnessed this knows this to be true. Abby doesn’t naturally engage a lot with children her own age, but will easily and most happily play with a dog.

Whilst we are so very fortunate to have the NDIS support Abigail’s Physiotherapy, Speech Therapy, Music Therapy, vision therapy, occupational therapy and many other supports, it is outside their scope to fund a therapy dog. The work and dedication involved in getting our own dog and training it is not something that is practical and realistic for our family and so we have been searching and researching for a year to work the best way to find the right dog for Abigail.

The positive impact of a Therapy Dog in Abigail’s daily life will be simply astounding.

We have been accepted to go on the waitlist and partner with Dogs for Kids to secure a fully trained and certified Therapy Dog for Abigail, with their amazing charity outlaying approximately $25k to buy, raise and train these incredible animals.

In partnering with them we are designated a worthy fundraising target of $10K for our contribution to Abigail’s therapy dog and simultaneously raise awareness of this wonderful organisation.

We will be making some fundraising events throughout the year and want to encourage everyone to spread the word to friends and family far and wide for this life changing organisation.

Thank you all for the amazing support, we are so grateful and look forward to staying in contact and keeping you updated of our progress.