A San Diego non-profit is raising money to provide a service dog for an 8-year-old boy with autism named Cameron, who lives with his family at Camp Pendleton.
"It's going to change all of our lives for sure," said Cameron's mother, Christine Langager. "I'm still in shock, I still randomly tear up thinking about it."
The charity Good Dog! decided to help the family raise the entire $26,000 that it takes to train a puppy to become a service dog because Cameron's father Thomas has served in the military for 15 years. Thomas Langager is a Heavy Equipment based at Camp Pendleton, now deployed to the Middle East for another year.
Normally, the charity pays for half of the cost, and families must fund raise the balance. Donations for the family can be made at the You Caring page set up for the family.
Christine Langager said because autism is an invisible disease, having a dog with a service vest will help people show grace and compassion toward Cameron when he struggles with his behavior in public.
"For him, it means the prospect of being more independent, able to be a little more discreet in public," Langager said. "A super white fluffy dog can help distract; people don't see anything besides a cute dog."
Good Dog! founder Laura Sylvester knows the importance of having a service dog.
"It's hard to be an autism parent. There's a lot of negative surrounding it. But there's no denying a dog and a child are all about love, hope," Sylvester said.
She started Good Dog! with her husband Rick almost five years ago, after their son Elliot was denied a service dog by Canine Companions for Independence. CCI provides several kinds of service dogs for free every year, but can only accept a limited number of applications.
On their own, the Sylvester family ended up getting a dog named Orbit, inspired by Elliot's love of all things outer space. They blogged about the experience, and soon other families started contacting them for advice. They eventually decided to start the non-profit Good Dog! to specifically help other children with autism.
The Sylvesters said Orbit has helped now 15-year-old Elliot refocus and remain calm in public.
"Autism is such a misunderstood disease that a lot of times families won't go out, or are misunderstood," Laura Sylvester said. "When you have service dog, it gets noticed first."
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"Judgment gets eliminated, turns it on its head," added Rick Sylvester. "It changes that judgment into more of a loving, positive acceptance toward the child."
Good Dog! has placed 20 dogs so far. Laura became emotional when she told NBC7 that for the first time, the organization now has more families applying for a dog than they can accommodate. And although the couple wishes they had a big donor to help more families, they also believe the families begin to heal when they fund raise in their own community.
Cameron's family began the two year process of getting a service dog in early 2015. The Langagers have already raised some money by holding yard sales, bake sales and asking neighbors to collect bottles and cans for them.
His mother said Cameron loves animals. The family already has a cat named Meowna Loa because of his fascination with volcanoes. In fact, Cameron recently sat in on a freshman lecture on volcanoes at SDSU. Afterward, he told his mom he pretty much knew everything already.
"He has a very good memory and he's very great at learning facts," Langager said. "He's voracious about learning and math and science."
Cameron's two-year-old brother William is also in the process of being tested for autism.
Good Dog! is also raising money to provide the Surprise-McCartys family with a service dog.
If you would like to contribute to the efforts of Good Dog! to provide both families with a service dog, click here.
