Budd Lake family seeks four-legged solution

BUDD LAKE, NEW JERSEY - No offense to cat lovers out there, but this Budd Lake family has a need only a furry canine can fulfill, and they need your help.

Bill and Roberta Polak are raising funds on behalf of 4 Paws For Ability, a non-profit organization specializing in training and placement of service dogs for disabled children. The Polaks are committed to raising $11,000, the cost of training an autism service dog for their 7-year-old son, Will.

Will has faced more challenges in his short life than others might face in a lifetime. Born with autism, verbal apraxia, and sensory processing disorder, Will is practically non-verbal and has severe developmental delays. Children with Autism tend to wander away and are unaware of environmental dangers such as traffic, bodies of water, or the ill intentions of a stranger. Will needs a strong companion at his side trained to provide the special assistance he needs. In addition to providing constant companionship and unwavering friendship, these four-legged wonder dogs are specially trained in search and rescue skills.

Based in Xenia, Ohio, 4 Paws For Ability strives to provide service dogs to families and children that struggle with life’s daily challenges and who would otherwise be turned away by many other agencies. 4 Paws trains a variety of assistance dogs, including but not limited to seizure assistance, mobility assistance, hearing ear dogs and autism assistance dogs.

“We have discovered a magic that exists between children and dogs," states the 4Paws website "a magic that can become a life-saving miracle for a child paired with one of our Autism Assistance Dogs.”

You can help bring some magic to Will’s life
The 4 Paws For Ability website offers tax deductible donation through 'Network for Good' and 'PayPal'. Your donation is safe, secure, and private www.4pawsforability.org. To help the Polak's reach their goal, make sure your donation is pledged in Will's name.

Donna Williams and Deb Millard of Hearts and Hands will be holding a garage sale on June 21st. The Sale will be at 38 Queens Road, Rockaway, New Jersey from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Hearts and Hands, run by Bethlehem Church in Randolph NJ, is a support group for moms of special needs children. All proceeds will be donated to 4 Paws For Ability in Will's name.

Do you know a special needs child who needs a service dog?
4 Paws for Abilities works with families to enrich the lives of people with disabilities. 4Paws specializes in training and placement of service dogs for assistance with Autism, Hearing Ear, Mobility Assistance, Seizure Assistance, and In Home Companion - to name a few. 4paws service dogs are trained on a case by case basis, For more information call (937) 374-0385 or visit www.4pawsforability.org.