Canine caregivers

Matthew Plunk pulls away from Ajax but can't go more than 2 1/2 feet, the length of the tethering strap securing him to the Great Pyrenees-boxer mix.

PHOTO BY LOUIE FAVORITE / COX NEWS SERVICE Seven-year-old Matthew Plunk plays with his dog, Ajax, in their Norcross, Ga., home. Ajax is a 4 Paws For Ability service dog and has been trained to work with Matthew, who has autism. This, his parents say, is just one of the benefits of having an assistive dog to help their mildly autistic son navigate not just their Norcross, Ga., home but the world outside.

Before they got Ajax, Jennifer Plunk said, Matthew was prone to darting away, especially if he became frightened or upset. And when he was in the middle of a meltdown, behavior common in children suffering from Asperger's syndrome such as Matthew, he was inconsolable.

Not with Ajax. The dog is trained to recognize the situation, and he moves in to nuzzle 7-year-old Matthew to avert the behavior.

Matthew was diagnosed with Asperger's at age 3. He was socially aloof and moved constantly, Plunk said. When the family ventured away from their home, people stared at him, and Plunk imagined they saw just another over-indulged brat - and a mother badly in need of parenting classes.

PHOTO BY LOUIE FAVORITE / COX NEWS SERVICE Carter (front) and his brother, Conner, show their love for dogs. Carter's mother, Kelly Martin, is trying to raise enough money to get him an assistive dog. Now people see Ajax tethered to her son and are less judgmental and more empathetic, she said.

When she saw a news special about assistive dogs, she knew then that "this could be something huge for Matthew."

Within months of receiving Ajax last year, Plunk said, Matthew started to change.

"He's more calm and comfortable in his skin," she said. "He's interested in what's going on around him, more in tuned with people."

Kelly Martin hopes her son Carter can be so lucky. She believes an assistive dog could help him live a more regular life, too.

That freedom, however, comes with a $13,000 price tag, the price charged by 4 Paws for Ability. The Ohio-based nonprofit, where the Plunks got Ajax, trains service dogs for children and adults with various disabilities.

"It would be his own personal guide into this crazy world we live in," Martin said. "This dog will give Carter and my family back a lot of freedoms that we've had to forego because it is too hard for Carter to do normal things."

Getting a diagnosis

Kelly Martin first noticed her son was different during the summer of 2006. Carter was 2, but unlike other kids his age, his vocabulary was limited to "mom," "dad," "bubba," "mine" and "no." "That was the extent of it," Martin said. "No sentences."

That summer, the high school teacher and equestrian coach began investigating why her son wasn't talking, why he preferred playing alone and why he was having constant meltdowns.

A series of tests confirmed his mother's suspicions: Carter has, among other things, severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism.

Though Carter doesn't entirely fit the mold of a typical autistic child - he bonds with adults and shows emotion - his communication and social skills are almost nonexistent.

Therapeutic animals

While looking for ways to help Carter, Martin enrolled her son in a therapeutic horseback riding program at Sonrise Camp in Gainesville, Ga.

In the hours and days immediately following his therapy sessions, Martin said, she noticed Carter had fewer meltdowns.

She wondered about the possibility of having that kind of therapy available continuously.

Martin was investigating the impact of dog therapy on children when she came across testimonials, including one from Plunk, on the Internet.

"They were moms just like me with kids just like mine," she remembered. "I said, 'Oh my gosh, that can be Carter. I can take him to church without people staring at me, to the grocery story without him having meltdowns.' "

Martin filled out an application, and in December, 4 Paws called to say she'd been approved.

"That was the best day ever," she said.

Disrupting behavior

To qualify, children must have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act that can be mitigated by a dog, be able to financially care for the dog and guarantee the animal's safety in their home, said Karen

Shirk, executive director and founder of 4 Paws for Ability.

Costs depend on what the dog is trained to do, Shirk said, and can range from $13,000 to $26,000. Training can take up to eight months.

Dogs generally are trained to disrupt behavior, tether and track a missing child. For instance, if Carter is hand flapping, the dog is trained to touch him in such a way that disrupts his thought process and thus the behavior.

"We teach the child how to use the dog to self-regulate their emotion," Shirk said.

And because autistic children often become prisoners in their own homes or dart away from their parents, dogs also are trained in tethering so that a child is able to walk freely. If he bolts, the dog braces himself so the child can't get anywhere.

In addition, if Matthew Plunk were to get out of his house or doesn't respond to his name, Ajax is trained to search for and rescue him.

No one tracks the number of autistic children who go missing each year, but Shirk said that last year alone, she read eight stories of such children dying after wandering away from their parents or other caregivers.

"This is not just a service dog that can help," she said. "It's a service dog that can actually save a child's life."

Her agency has placed 250 dogs since its founding in October 1998. Of those, nearly 70 percent were paired with autistic children.

'Convinced they could help'

Like Martin, Deanna Nowell is hoping for the same results. Soon.

"We're waiting for the final fund-raising numbers to come in," Nowell said.

Her son Erik was diagnosed with autism and seizure disorders two years ago. She knows how quickly such children can disappear.

Nowell said that once while playing outside the family's home in Cumming, Ga., she turned around for a moment and Erik was gone.

By the time she and police found him, he had walked a half-mile down the driveway and crossed the road into nearby woods.

"I was sure he was having a seizure somewhere," she said, "that something bad had happened."

Nowell said police found her son unharmed an hour later, but she was determined "this can never happen again."

When she found 4 Paws, she said, "I signed up with a little bit of trepidation, but after talking with families who'd gotten dogs, I was convinced they could help my son."

Kelly Martin shares her conviction and hope.

DONATIONS

• Anyone interested in donating to Carter Martin may send a check in his honor to:

• Or you can visit the agency's Web site, 4pawsforability.org