Donations Sought to Fund Service Dog for Geneva Boy With Severe Autism

Photo Caption: Giovanni Rivera, 4, suffers from severe autism and his family is hoping a service dog will help the young boy.

A children’s charity organization is looking to raise money to help fund the cost to train a service dog and companion for her 4-year-old Geneva boy who suffers from severe autism.

Donations over the past two years have helped the Geneva family purchase a dog for Giovanni Rivera, 4. But now, $3,000 is needed for the family to travel to 4 Paws for Ability in Ohio, a non-profit organization that provides service dogs to children with disabilities, for a two-week training and certification course, according to a press release from Variety the Children’s Charity of Illinois.

“An Autism service dog would help calm him during anxious, stressful and overwhelming situations. A service dog would be his companion and best friend to a child with little friends who understand him,” said Myrna, Gio’s mom. “This dog could encourage him to interact with people. Services dogs are trained to calm, distract and redirect Gio’s behaviors.”

“A service dog would be his companion and best friend to a child with little friends who understand him.”

The service dog would also help Myrna keep track of her son who she said is a wanderer.

“ Gio will be harnessed to the dog when out and around in public,” she said. “A service dog is trained for search and rescue should Giovanni run off or leave the house.”

The family has been trying for two years to get a service dog for Gio who was born healthy and was reaching his early milestones when Myrna said she started to noticed things change.

“Gio became nonverbal and was having issues with balance and walking. He was terified to go outside, to touch the grass and to hear loud noises. He did not like the feel of certain clothing,” she said. “Due to Gio’s sensory issues he became very frustrated and would bang his head on the floor, into the doors, and the walls.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to accept donations to help pay for the training needed to bring Gio’s service dog home.

“Gio receiving a service dog would be a blessing to the family,” Myrna said. “It would allow him to gain more independence and provide a safety net for him as well as peace of mind for our family.”

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