DOGS bring joy to their owners, but carer Andrew Leigh hopes that a therapy dog called Happy will bring more than happiness to a teenager with special needs.
Mr Leigh, of Thornlands, is raising funds to pay for a labradoodle that is undergoing certified training as a therapy dog for 17-year-old Brandon Gryparis.
The teenager lives with autism, intellectual impairment and epilepsy and is largely non-verbal.
Mr Leigh suggested the name for the dog, as ‘happy’ is one of the few words Mr Gryparis can say.
Mr Leigh was a teacher aide at the school Mr Gryparis attended.
Personal circumstances led to the teenager being in Mr Leigh’s care full-time from 2013.
Mr Leigh said he hoped the therapy dog would reduce anxiety for Mr Gryparis and, through constant companionship, help him feel as if he belonged in the world.
“Brandon needs support around the clock, it not for his autism, for his seizures,” he said.
“He can be very loving and kind, but he gets worked up easily. I hope that the dog can help him calm down before the anxiety builds up.”
Mr Leigh said Mr Gryparis would flap, made repetitive noises, touched people, grabbed at things and displayed behaviour that would be socially unacceptable for most people which made going out nearly impossible.
“I want him to have some normality. I am hoping that the dog will start him on the way to becoming more independent.
“He needs to have something that helps him to feel like any other person,” Mr Leigh said.
Mr Leigh and his wife get four hours of in-house respite care every fortnight for Mr Gryparis.
Live-in respite facilities are unable to accommodate him due to his high needs.
Mr Leigh has raised $3500 of the $13,000 needed to cover the purchase of the dog and three to six months of training through the breeder in the Hunter Valley.
Donations can be provided via a crowdfunding page set up by Mr Leigh at gofundme.com/brandons-therapy-dog.
