Archer is a happy, loving, adventurous nine-year-old boy with autism. He was diagnosed at 2 years old after he lost all his language as well as other important milestones. It has been a journey full of twists and turns for our whole family but this boy is worth every second of it and we have all learned so much along the way. He has made so much progress and continues to be the most resilient, hard-working kid I know. I am so proud to be his mom!

We are fundraising for Little Angels to help Archer and kids like him receive much-needed support through a service animal. A service dog can help keep kids on the spectrum safe through tethering, safe walking support, and tracking skills. They can relieve meltdowns for children with deep pressure touch. They are also a calm constant presence to help prevent self-injurious behavior. They can even help ASD kids, who struggle with social and emotional skills, grow in those areas. And best of all these kids gain a best friend (also something that can be very hard for kids with autism).

Little Angels not only trains autism service dogs but also dogs that can assist their recipients with mobility tasks, seizure alert, diabetic alert, hearing loss, PTSD, panic attacks as well as many other needs. Most of the dogs they place have come from their own breeding program and are raised from birth with the specific goal of being Assistance Dogs. Others are lucky enough to be rescued from local shelters and rescue programs and end up changing the lives of others. Each dog's training is personalized to help their individual handlers' needs.

At the time we were approved for a dog It cost Little Angels $38,000 to raise, train, and place a service dog with a deserving recipient. Every dog Little Angels places is paid for by donations from generous donors. While we wait for Archer’s dog, we are helping Little Angels raise money to meet their fundraising goals. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Little Angels Service Dogs so they can continue their mission of "Changing lives...one dog at a time!”

Thank you so much everyone for your support!! It means so much to our family!!

------

Little Angels Service Dogs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with an Assistance Dogs International (ADI) accreditation. We provide highly trained assistance dogs to help children and adults living with disabilities to live more independent lives. Our mission is to maximize the innate ability of dogs to give the gift of independence to individuals regardless of disability or age.

Our primary purpose is to change the lives of people living with disabilities by helping them live a more independent life. Approximately 13% of Americans are living with disabilities, and less than 1% of that community use service dogs due to a mix of availability, costs, and barriers for service animals that still exist today. Our goal is to overcome those barriers for people living with disabilities to appropriately match service dogs with their recipients.

We train our service dogs to perform specific tasks and behaviors that mitigate the effects of a person's disability, enabling them to lead more autonomous and fulfilling lives. Results of various studies on the impact service dogs have on their owners living with disabilities have indicated that service dog ownership may include benefits like greater social and emotional health, independence, and overall quality of life.

Our service dogs include psychiatric (civilian and military), seizure alert, diabetic alert, hearing assistance, mobility assistance, and autism assistance. We firmly believe that all disabilities should be regarded with equal importance, irrespective of their visibility. Our team acknowledges our responsibility not only to our service dogs but also to the individuals we serve.

Help Kids with Autism, like Archer, Receive a Service Dog

By Little Angels Service Dogs

Help Kids with Autism, like Archer, Receive a Service Dog

Paige Stageberg is raising money for Little Angels Service Dogs