As a national provider of Dog Guides to Canadians with disabilities since 1983, Lions Foundation of Canada is pleased to announce the expansion of its training programs to include Autism Assistance Dog Guides for children and families living with autism. This new initiative will compliment the school’s established four existing Dog Guide programs; vision, hearing, special skills and seizure response.
 As the fastest growing developmental disability in the country, autism is estimated to affect more than 1 in 165 people. Helping children 4-12 years of age, Autism Assistance Dog Guides provide safety, companionship and unconditional love for those in need.
Spearheading this new initiative is Chris Fowler, who has worked with over 300 families that have children with autism. In 1996, he co-founded the first autism service dog program and for several years has helped other schools worldwide train dogs to assist families living with autism. “His guidance and expertise will make a tremendous difference in the advancement of this program, and will allow us to help even more Canadians each year” says Sandy Turney, Executive Director of Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides.
As well as providing comfort and consistency for both the child and their family, Autism Assistance Dog Guides provides calming relief for children in high anxiety situations, and reduces the stress commonly experienced in public places. Bonding with the Dog Guide helps both the child and their family gain increased independence and social interaction.
As a leading provider of Dog Guides to Canadians with disabilities, Lions Foundation of Canada has helped over 1500 men, women and children through the use of specially trained Dog Guides. Each Dog Guide is provided at no cost to qualified applicants who are blind or visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing or who have a medical or physical disability.
The addition of Autism Assistance Dog Guides will allow the Foundation to reach out to young children and in turn help younger Canadians benefit from the safety and independence a Dog Guide brings. For more information about this program please contact Alex Ivic at 1.800.768.3030 Ext. 222
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