Everyone knows that a dog is man’s best friend. For many years dogs have been used to help service those with certain health issues such as blindness and those suffering from health issues that result because of aging. Well when Karen Shirk was diagnosed with a rare neuromuscular disease and was confined to a wheel chair, she decided to get a service dog of her own. Realizing how much help these dogs can be, she decided to set up the non-profit organization 4 Paws for Ability, which provides service dogs to people with a range of different disabilities in order to help improve their healthy living habits.

Recently, Shirk has developed a program that is meant to bring happiness to children suffering from the disease of autism. Autism is a widespread disease that affects those who have it throughout the entire length of their lives. As a matter of fact, 1 in 166 children are diagnosed with autism every year. Autism brings with it a number of possible health problems including seizures, tuberous sclerosis, and attention deficit disorder.

According to Shirk, families who have a child suffering from autism often times can’t take them out into the public simply because their safety may be at risk. Because of this, 4 Paws for Ability has trained of number of autism assistance dogs to help children with autism connect with these animals and in a way improve their health. Along with providing the children with healthier social connection, the inclusion of the animals also help the children to connect emotionally, providing them a great deal of support that they may not have originally had. For example, if an autistic child begins to suffer from what is known as a meltdown in which they lose control of their emotions, the dogs are actually taught to calm them down.

To many of these children suffering from autism, having man’s best friend by their side is a life-changing experience that helps to improve their overall health and daily activities. For these children, service dogs aren’t just helpful animals; they are the heroes that give them strength to continue on each and every day.

And that is an amazing thing.

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