Therapy Dogs

Our family is looking into getting our 3 1/2 year old son a dog trained for autistic children. We have looked at 4 paws, but they want you to raise $15,000. We are also looking at North Star. Has anyone been through this search that could give me any ideas on who to contact and what your experience has been like for your child?

I have a nearly 7 year old son with PDD-NOS. I also looked into a therapy dog for my son. The expense and wait time were really discouraging. A friend of mine has a nephew with autism who did get a therapy dog, and they never bonded. In January, we rescued a yellow lab/golden retriever puppy. I was thrilled to find such a great mix of docile friendly family dog. I brought my son (with the permission of the dog trainer) to puppy school. Having an easliy distracted puppy and son in an area full of other easily distracted puppies was a bit challenging, but the end result was worth it. My son is not good with animals, tending to hit (and sometimes bite back) the dog out of frustration, but he has the core principles of dog communication and treatment and we remind him to use it. We've had pretty good success. It is a work in progress, for both puppy and son. The other positives to this; dogs bond more with the family members who go through puppy training with them. The other is, dog training and raising all children have the same basic principles. Short, simple, consistent commands are the most effective. Follow this by praise when indicated and correction when needed. When I say the phrase "Are you ready?" both dog and son know its time to listen.
I am considering furthering our dogs training (when she settles down a little with age) to become a certified therapy dog. There are some web sites out there that mark the requirements for this certification, and most dog trainers are great resources in helping with further training. Good luck to you!