Autism Service Dog Delivered by SDWR to Family in Troutville, VA

Troutville, VA, February 16, 2020 --(PR.com)-- Charlie, a 4-year-old little boy from Troutville, VA, received a very special delivery today of his very own Service Dog from SDWR. Charlie’s service dog, Onyx, will be able to accompany him everywhere thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Charlie’s parents are looking forward to having additional help with their son’s coping, inability to sleep well, transitioning to change in his routine and an overall tool to cope with Charlie’s symptoms of autism. With his Autism Service Dog, Onyx, by his side, Charlie’s family is hopeful that it will help him better transition and adjust as he gets older and assist him with his daily struggles of autism.

SDWR will continue to work with Charlie, his parents and Onyx in their home environment, to train for specific needs he may have. What makes SDWR so unique from other nonprofit service dog organizations is this highly customized and tailored training program. SDWR trainers will continue to return for training sessions with Charlie, his family, and Onyx every 3-4 months during the next 18 months to make a successful team and gain public access certification.

As an honored graduate of the SDWR Fallen Officer Puppy Program (FOPP), the service dog is named after fallen hero K9 Onyx of the Kingston Municipal Police Department. Onyx was a member of the Kingston Police Department for more than 8 years and served as a narcotics/patrol dog. FOPP is an initiative by SDWR to pay respect to the legacy of service by fallen American police who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Autism Service Dog Onyx’s work with Charlie will carry on in memoriam of K9 Onyx’s life of service before self.

About SDWR:
Service Dogs by SDWR has a mission to provide specially-bred dogs for individuals of all ages with invisible disabilities like PTSD, Seizure Disorder, Diabetes or in the case of Charlie,, Autism Spectrum Disorder. In addition to the nearly 600 working dogs already placed, there are several hundred more actively enrolled in SDWR's program.

Service Dogs by SDWR is a non-profit organization based in Virginia, and relies on donations to help the organization in its mission, "Until the puzzle is solved ... there's a dog." To make a donation or learn more about SDWR, please visit the website, http://www.sdwr.org. To learn more about Autism Service Dogs visit https://www.sdwr.org/service-dogs/autism/ To find out how you can volunteer or serve as a service dog raiser visit http://www.sdwr.org/volunteer-opportunities.