“There is no greater fear than losing sight of your non-verbal autistic child during an elopement, even if it’s just for one minute… To then watch how happy our service dog was as she tracked and found our little girl made me realize how life-changing… Read More »“She found our little girl.” | How 4 Paws for Ability is helping children living with autism in 2026
“We were at our wits end before we found 4 Paws.” Stephanie and David were looking for a solution for the overwhelming challenges that having a child with autism brings. “We researched different companies, and truly appreciated the individual attention to the family, and especially… Read More »“A ‘Normal’ Life Again”: Gloria & Timmy’s Story
Josiah lives with autism. This is his life from his mom’s perspective. “Imagine you are autistic. You walk into a busy museum, and the lobby is filled with people. There is no direct way to travel through the crowd, and hundreds of voices are speaking… Read More »What is Autism, explained by a mom
“Joey has been the biggest asset to Chandler’s life. We were unable to do even the little things that most people take for granted. I couldn’t take Chandler to a store without elopements and huge meltdowns. We’d have the whole store staring at us while… Read More »Chandler and Joey
David is seven years old and has Autism and Dravet Syndrome. His family applied for a service dog in March 2020 so they could have some peace of mind and relief when it came to seizure alerting and detection. Since David was getting older and… Read More »David and Sniffles
“Albie had her first ‘real’ track today looking for Gracie. Albie knew exactly where she was, but Eric and I committed a common error; we put our logic into the search and assumed Albie had lost interest in the ‘game.’ Gracie took the trash out… Read More »Gracie and Albie
As featured in the 4 Paws for Ability 2018 Annual Report Bella Menard has suffered from seizures since she was just six months old and was diagnosed with Epilepsy and Autism at the age of six. Her seizures became so significant that Bella could no… Read More »Bella & Zodiac
As featured in the 4 Paws for Ability 2019 Annual Report Nolan Streit was diagnosed with Autism at age two. “Nolan as always been smart, loving, and full of life,” explains Kristen Streit, “[he] has always had a lot of energy…and is fast!” This speed… Read More »Nolan & Isles
As featured in the 4 Paws for Ability 2018 Annual Report Auhner, more commonly known to friends and family as Tiki, was diagnosed at the age of three with Autism/PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified). While Tiki’s family, including his three siblings, are very active,… Read More »Tiki & Fuzzbert
As featured in the 4 Paws for Ability 2017 Annual Report Bryson Branam’s service dog, Curtiss, joined his family in May of 2017. This gentle dog has not only been a constant source of comfort and joy to his companion with severe autism, he has… Read More »Bryson & Curtiss
