Sawyer Brooks is the most amazing 6 year old you will ever meet. He is funny, kind, extremely smart, and passionate about animals, helping our recycling/garbage collectors each week as an "honorary garbage man", and finding ways to let his light shine for Jesus. Sawyer Brooks is all these amazing things and more, but he also has a superpower...Autism. Many people may see Autism as a negative thing, but we choose to view it as Sawyer Brooks's superpower-one that allows him to view the world differently, to see the simple grace and beauty in things around him, and to accept people for who they are. Yes, Autism causes Sawyer Brooks daily challenges, but we are so proud of all the work he puts in daily through various therapies like OT, Speech, ABA, and more. He not only has a full time job as a kid and kindergartener, but he puts in atleast 4 or more hours of different Autism therapies each day. We are so proud of him and all the work he has done in therapy since the age of 12 months! Now, we are hoping to give him a little more help and support in his daily life by training his dog, Ranger, to be a service dog.
We purchased Ranger from a wonderful breeder in Missouri, Okefeild Acres, who specialize in raising dogs whose temperaments are great for therapy and service work.We hand picked Ranger specifically for his temperament and disposition to become Sawyer Brooks's service dog for Autism. We have already contracted with a reputable Service Dog training company in Nashville and Ranger completed his first session in February. The process of training a service dog takes about 1 1/2 to 2 years until they are fully ready for service work. Ranger will go through multiple semesters of training away at the facility where he will board and train for 3 weeks at a time, then do follow up training in our home with his trainers each semester. We hope Ranger can start his second training session this summer!This is a lengthy, time consuming and expensive process, but we are so hopeful for all the ways that Ranger will be able to help Sawyer Brooks as he navigates the world with Autism.
Here are a few of the things we hope Ranger will be able to do for Sawyer Brooks as a service animal: to help provide calming support when Sawyer Brooks gets overstimulated/overwhelmed. Things like big crowds, loud noises, new sensory experiences, or simply changes in his environment can cause major sensory overload. Ranger can be trained to look for these signs in Sawyer Brooks and bring comfort and reduce anxiety. Ranger can also be trained to block for Sawyer Brooks, giving him personal space while out in public. Children with Autism have very sensitive central nervous systems. Ranger can use his body to offer proprioceptive input to Sawyer Brooks when he needs that extra deep pressure to calm his fragile nervous system. This can be during the day when needed, but also at night while Sawyer Brooks sleeps. Sleep is difficult for kids with Autism and Sawyer Brooks always needs someone to sleep next to him because of the need for constant proprioceptive input. Ranger will be trained to sleep right next to him and provide that feedback throughout the night. Having a service dog like Ranger can also help Sawyer Brooks navigate social situations that can often be difficult for a child with Autism. A dog naturally serves as icebreaker for conversation and appropriate communication can be a real struggle for Sawyer Brooks. There are so many other wonderful things Ranger will be trained to do for Sawyer Brooks, but hopefully these examples paint a picture of some of the amazing ways a service dog can help Sawyer Brooks thrive as he navigates the world with Autism.
Thankfully the Lord blessed us with the ability to purchase such a wonderful dog like Ranger who is bred for Service work. It was very costly and a financial strain for our family, but we knew the investment was well worth it to help make Sawyer Brooks's life more manageable and full. Because of wonderful friends and strangers who donated to the first round of our campaign, Ranger was able to complete his first session of service dog training! We now humbly ask for help to fund this second stage of this life changing Service Dog training for Ranger and Sawyer Brooks. The cost for the next level of training is $4,000, with $1,200 due now to secure his spot for the summer. It will be a full-time job for Ranger and will require thousands of hours of work on his part to become the best service dog he can for Sawyer Brooks. Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated and will go directly to the service dog training and care for Ranger. We are trusting the Lord to provide a way to get Ranger trained to enrich Sawyer Brooks's life. We know that we cannot do it alone and we humbly ask for any support that you can give! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
UPDATES
Update #11-Training is Going STrong April 13, 2023
Hi, Friends,I hope everyone is doing well and had a blessed Easter! I wanted to send a brief update on how Ranger is doing with his training. We are still working daily on perfecting all of his general obedience skills he learned in his first session in February. Ranger is doing very well. He is such an attentive little guy and really wants to please. He follows Sawyer Brooks around everywhere and they are such best buddies. Sawyer Brooks loves to play Rugby with Ranger in the living room and Ranger even joins in playing hockey with Sawyer Brooks. He sure loves to try and intercept the puck! Ranger's trainers came out for an in-home session last month and said he is right on track. We will be signing him up for Session 2 of his training this summer! At this session, he will learn 3 skills that he will help Sawyer Brooks with on a daily basis. We are still in the process of narrowing down the three skills that will help Sawyer Brooks the most. We are really looking forward to this next phase of training. We would love your help spreading the word again about our campaign as we need to raise an additional $4,000 for Round 2. We could not have succeeded without your help last time and we would humbly ask for help spreading the word again. Please feel free to share the link on your social media pages, an email blast, text blast, word of mouth, etc. https://www.givesendgo.com/G9EVEEvery share truly makes a difference! In order to secure Ranger's spot for training this summer, we have to put down a $1,200 deposit. They are already booking out to August so our goal for this next month is to raise the $1,200 to save his spot and ideally hit our 2nd goal of the full $4,000 by the end of June! Thanks again! Please enjoy this sweet pic of Sawyer Brooks with Bailey (left) and Ranger (right).Abby and Clive Yeo
Update #10 February 3, 2023
We have been receiving amazing reports about Ranger while he is in his first session of Service Dog Training. He is picking up everything very quickly and is a perfect candidate for service work. According to his trainers, Ranger is giving lots of kisses, cuddles and is a super smart, little guy. He has been working outside on his 6 ft and 30 ft leash obedience. Ranger is working on focusing to commands while other dogs are nearby. Being able to focus with lots of distractions is a key skill for service dogs! Thanks for your continued prayers and support. For more frequent updates on his progress and our service dog journey, please check out our campaign page: https://www.givesendgo.com/G9EVE. Scroll to the bottom and click, "Follow" to receive updates!
God Bless!
Abby and Clive
Update #9-Ranger is Rocking his Training! January 29, 2023
Ranger is Rocking his training! Ranger's trainers all say how smart our little guy is, how quickly he picks up on commands and how sweet and loving Ranger is! He is the hit of the Training Camp!!! Thanks for your continued prayers! It sure is quiet around here without our 4 legged buddy!
Update #8-First Day of Training January 27, 2023
We got an update from Ranger’s Trainer today! Yesterday, was his first full day of training. He learned the movement commands - “heel” with an auto-sit, sit-release, and “come”. His trainers sang his praises and said what a sweet boy he is. It sure is quiet around here without that little guy! Here’s a cute picture they sent of Ranger on his first day! We look forward to sending you more updates!
Update #7-First Day of Training January 25, 2023
Hi, Prayer Warriors! Today was the big day! We dropped Ranger off for his first round of Training. It was definitely a bittersweet moment at drop off. We are so excited for this amazing journey Ranger and Sawyer Brooks will be going on, but sad that we won't have sweet, Ranger at home with us for the next three weeks! Ranger will be training all day, every day for the next several weeks. It is a full time job! We hope to share updates and pictures as they come in from the trainer. We could not have gotten to this stage without each one of you and your support! Please keep praying for Ranger and his trainer to be able to bond and work hard together as a team. Pray that Ranger can learn all that he needs to in this first round and that we can continue with his training when he returns home. Please also pray for the Lord to provide the rest of the funds needed to pay for Ranger's second round of training. We have to pay 1/3 of that session when we pick Ranger up in Feb. to secure his spot for Level 2. We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and financial support. Please continue to share this link with friends, family, on your social media pages, etc. We can't do it without you! Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts!
Much Love, Clive and Abby
Update #6-Happy New Year! January 4, 2023
Happy New Year, Friends! Wow! It's hard to believe we are in 2023! We feel so blessed to begin this year with Ranger starting his first service dog training in just a few weeks! We will miss Ranger dearly while he is away for 3 weeks, but we know the time away will lead to so many more amazing moments with him once he becomes certified. This is the first step in a lengthy process and we could not have gotten here without your generous support! We have raised enough money to cover Ranger's entire first session of training!!!! Praise the Lord! We still have a way to go to reach our ultimate goal of getting his entire service training covered, but we are now 37% funded! Please continue to share the link with friends and family, post it to your social media, emails, etc. Re-Sharing with friends every few weeks really does make a huge difference! With your continued help, we know we will make this dream happen! Please enjoy this most recent photo of sweet, Ranger on his 6 month birthday! God Bless-Abby and Clive
https://www.givesendgo.com/G9EVE
Update #5: Merry Christmas! December 25, 2022
Merry Christmas, Friends! We are extra thankful this year for the outpouring of love and kindness we have received through this campaign. God is always so good and faithful! We wish you a blessed Christmas season with your loved ones and may God bless each of you ten-fold in the new year for your servant's hearts!
Much love,
Clive, Abby, Ellie Kate, Sawyer Brooks, Bailey and Ranger
Update #4 December 16, 2022
Wow! We can hardly believe how much has been raised in such a short time! We have raised $5,876! We have met our first goal and are now fully funded for Ranger's first session of Service Dog Training in January! God is so good! We are making huge strides towards hitting our second goal of the next $4,000 for his second session of training. That is such an answer to prayer! Thank you for all your love and support and for sharing our campaign with others. We could not do this without each one of you! May God bless you and your family
Update #3-Happy Thanksgiving! November 24, 2022
Happy Thanksgiving, Friends! We have so much to be thankful for this year! We are so grateful for each one of you and your kind hearts and generous spirits! We have made huge progress in our goal this week! We have raised $3,460! That is such an answer to prayer! We have almost reached 25% of our overall goal and are only $540 away from our first mini goal...sending Ranger for his first training in January! Praise the Lord! We couldn't do it without you! Please keep sharing the campaign link with friends and family! Did you know that every share averages a $35 donation? So, your shares can truly make a huge difference! May the Lord bless you and your family this Thanksgiving and return the blessing ten fold!
*This week, please enjoy a picture of Ranger resting with his big sister, Bailey, our other English Cream doodle. Prayers for Bailey would be greatly appreciated as she underwent emergency surgery this week and has a long recovery ahead of her! Ranger sure misses his big sister while she is at the hospital!
Update #2 November 18, 2022
Praise the Lord and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued kindness and generous outpouring of love and support for Sawyer Brooks! We have reached some amazing milestones this week! First, we are over 13% fully funded in just under two weeks! That is truly an answer to prayer and a testament to each one of you and your willingness to spread the word for our cause. Thank you just doesn't seem to be enough to describe how humbled and grateful we are to each of you! Second, we have reached 50% of our first, mini goal of paying for Ranger's first round of treatment! With only 45 days to go until that payment is due, we feel so encouraged that we will meet that goal and get these two best friends started on their service training journey! Please continue to share the campaign on your social media platforms or simply send out this short update via text/email with the link to friends. Life is hectic and people get busy! They may have seen it the first time and forgot to share, but meant to! Sharing the link, occasionally, is a great reminder and helps keep the momentum going! We couldn't do this without you! Please enjoy this cute photo of Sawyer Brooks and Ranger from this week enjoying some cuddle time on the floor!
Update #1 November 13, 2022
Wow! We are blown away by the outpouring of support for our sweet, Sawyer Brooks and Ranger. We are so humbled by everyone's kindness and generosity! So far, we have raised $1,310! We have 50 more days to reach our first goal of $4,000 to pay for Ranger's first session of service dog training in January! Please keep sharing the campaign with friends and family! With your help, we know we can reach our goal! Please enjoy this photo of our two little lobsters on Halloween!
Blessings,
Clive and Abby Yeo
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