An easter egg hunt that’s gone to the dogs
Posted Apr 6, 2012 7:46 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
There is a special Easter egg hunt on Good Friday at the Absolute Baseball Academy in northwest Calgary.
Families and their dogs will be taking part in a fund raiser for the National Service Dogs, canines that are teamed up with autistic children.
The program is still in its infancy here in Calgary, although it’s been running nationally for 16 years.
“We have six certified service dogs for autism in Calgary, and one puppy raiser who’s me,” says Alison Archambault of the National Service Dogs organization. “N-S-D is always looking for puppy raisers and volunteers across the country.”
“One in 52 boys and one in 282 girls in Canada are impacted by autism,” Archambault continues. “Certified service dogs for autism increase safety levels in children impacted by autism by alleviating the bolting behaviours. So running into traffic, taking off on their parents, you know heading out in the middle of the night when mom and dad are sleeping. The dog is attached to the child, 24/7.”
Archambault says when a service dog is teamed with an autistic child, it creates greater awareness among the general public.
“A service dog and a coach identifies the child as having special needs and obviously requiring more empathy from the general population than we might usually make, instead of you know comments of ‘get that child home for a nap or for bed,'” she says.
To learn more about the National Service Dogs organization, click on www.nsd.on.ca
