“I like dogs and I think having a service dog would help me a lot. Being with a dog makes me feel safer—especially if it’s big and strong, because I feel protected.
That’s just about all I have to say. Bye!"  Mudge Wasser, age 8

Mudge's Story:

Our child Mudge has had severe anxiety since toddlerhood. When she was a young child, we painstakingly avoided automatic hand dryers, toilets, and loud places. We told everyone who approached her to ask before they touched. We homeschooled, even when bills and expenses towered.

What we knew then was that our child had difficulty processing sensory information. What we didn’t know was that Mudge was on the autism spectrum. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in 68 children in the United States have autism, a brain-based disorder that can cause major social, communication, and behavioral challenges. Learning that Mudge had Asperger’s (a form of Autism) helped everything click for us—the social anxiety, the meltdowns, the level of support needed to perform routine tasks. Now that we know about Asperger’s, it is critical that we find more ways to support our child. It is for that reason that we applied for a service dog.

A service dog will help Mudge gain confidence, independence, and responsibility. A service dog will help Mudge stand up straighter, reduce anxiety, and be who she is meant to be without so much standing in the way. Animals have an incredibly calming effect on Mudge. We know that having a service dog will be completely life changing for her.

We are so grateful to have found ECAD, the non-profit organization that is training a dog for Mudge. ECAD asks each family to raise $25,000 toward the cost of breeding, raising, and training the service dog. If you or anyone you know is willing to pitch in, we would be so deeply grateful.

 Thank you for your generous support to help ECAD educate a service dog for Mudge.