Our chosen Charity
Autism Dogs Charity is a cause very close to our hearts, we have experienced first hand their amazing support and fantastic dog training.
Who are Autism Dogs?
Autism Dogs Charity (www.AutismDogs.co.uk) is based in Congleton and trains specialist Assistance Dogs for autistic children and adults in mainland England, Scotland, and Wales.
We are the ONLY organisation of our type to be accredited by the National Autistic Society for autism services. With some of the most challenging cases in the UK, our charity provides hope to some of the most vulnerable and sick autistic people.
Many have life-limiting conditions and are highly vulnerable and isolated, so we are often the final hope for families living in chaos and in fear of their future. We help families by stabilising, creating new routines and developing coping strategies that allow a specialist-trained Assistance Dog to aid the beneficiary. Autism Dogs Charity is the only organisation in the UK to provide this level of specialist family support for autistic people.
What is Autism?
Autism is a neurological and developmental disorder affecting interaction, communication, learning and behaviour. Approximately 3 million people in the UK have autism, which affects 1 out of every 68 children.
Autistic people can be very creative and remember things well. They may be experts in a particular field or have an eye for detail. However, autism can also bring about many challenges, and their struggles can affect their families.
It is possible for autistic people to become vulnerable and isolated, lonely and frightened.
How do Autism Dogs Help?
Our work helps to lower debilitating anxiety, reduce self-injury/harm behaviours, improve poor sleeping and eating patterns, increase social skills, which eventually leads to improved confidence and cooperation.
The impact of our work on the whole family can be life-changing and takes a dedicated team many months of specialist support to improve their quality of family life.
What do First Contact do to help Autism Dogs?
As our chosen charity, we consult with Autism Dogs Charity, advising on their IT & Telecomms. We provide their IT support and managed services to ensure they are able to continue working on the work that is important for them.
How can you help Autism Dogs?
A life-changing Autism Assistance Dog takes months to train with the family and the dog. It takes our specialist team of over 30 people to help train, support and take care of the welfare of the animal before and even after the qualified Assistance Dog is delivered to their new handler. It takes a lot of time and money… In fact, it takes an average of £22,000 to fully train a family and their bespoke Autism Assistance Dog.
We rely heavily on volunteers, and sometimes our families will contribute to the costs of our programmes – but not everyone can.
You can help our services to become more accessible for more autistic people in need by raising funds for us as your CHARITY OF THE YEAR or by donating. With your help, we will be able to change more lives. Remember, if you want to make a difference in your life, then care for someone else’s.
