The Welty family of Hempfield now have the $15,000 required for the service dog needed for the safety of their 7-year-old son, Reid, who has autism.
Two successful fundraisers this past weekend provided the remaining $5,500 to secure ownership and the continued training of Oliver, a 5-month-old black Labrador retriever.
"Reid has met Oliver...but it's hard to tell if he's excited," said his mother, Sharon Welty, who is a teacher at Hillcrest Intermediate School in Norwin School District. "He's nonverbal and profoundly deaf."
Although Reid has two cochlear implants that enable hearing in his left ear and he uses an iPad to communicate his needs, his mother said he has darted off in front of cars and has taken off unexpectedly and been lost in the woods by their house.
Oliver is being specially trained to suit Reid's needs through Perfect Fit Canines, a Churchill-based group dedicated to "Completing the Puzzle of Autism," and providing dogs to reliably respond to the needs of their human partners, according its website. Oliver will be trained in search and rescue and will be trained to stop Reid if he head off into the woods or traffic, his mother said.
"The dog will calm him if he's upset and will find his cochlear implant if he takes it off," Welty said.
The family has supplied Reid's clothing so Oliver can become familiar with the boy's scent. It will take 18 to 24 month to train Oliver and the whole family will be involved, including Reid's father, Nathan, and big brother Shane, 9.
The boot camp training at Misty Pines Dog Park in Franklin Park for overall socialization will even include their 2-year-old American bulldog, Sadie.
"We chose a local group so we can be involved in the training," Welty said.
Friends held various fundraisers, beginning with a spirit night March 29 at Chick-fil-A, three giveback nights at Chili's Grill & Bar Restaurant in Hempfield and the South Side Rally and Pub Crawl May 19 that raised $4,000.
Even with the setback of the first chosen service dog being hit by a car as a puppy, the money was raised in slightly more than two months.
"It really took off," Welty said.
Her fellow teachers and her fifth-grade class sold $1,000 worth of $2 blue wristbands that say "Who Let the Dogs Help."
The Tots-N-Tikes day care center in Youngwood, where Reid attends before heading to school at Bovard Elementary, organized a spaghetti dinner last Friday that brought in $2,000, said owner Karen Janos.
"My staff was awesome," said Janos, who takes care of 200 children at the site of the former Holy Cross School. "I couldn't have asked for better help."
The event featured donated items that included roller skates from Latrobe Skating Center for a raffle. Donors included The Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, Pagano's and McDonald's of Mt.Pleasant.
The final event, "Cuts for Canines" was held last Sunday at the Cristo Bello Salon Spa & Gifts in North Huntingdon. Baked goods were sold and professional photographer Christin J. Slatt took pet pictures.
The Welty family is grateful and amazed at how quickly the funds have come together. Any money that is not needed will be used for another family having trouble raising money for a service dog, she said.
"Having the service dog will bring balance and peace, and allow us to be happier as a family," Welty said.
