wild_rose

Thanks guys. The first thing I did at the beginning of my research - contacted these service dogs organizations. Their websites look promising, however in fact, it's really hard to get such dog. I wrote them, asked questions, so what they replied: -"You can apply only if your child is severely impaired" -"You can apply only if you live in our state" -"You can apply only after participating in our workshop. The next available workshop will be in a year. And then a waiting period will be around 2 years or more" -And another organization replied only on my first email, not second

My child is almost 5 but he has intellectual problems and autism. He avoids other children but is very happy among animals (we regularly do horse riding and go to the city farm). He hasn't been around dogs much though. My child will never hurt anyone intentionally, but he may not realize that when he does it accidentally. I suppose he can put fingers in dog's ears / nose / mouth or pinch its skin - just to explore, or try to sit on the dog. It may be hard to teach him because of his intellectual problems. But there is some hope that we will manage such behavior - worth to try? It would be good to find a dog that will stay in our home 2-3 days a week to see how it goes, but I still couldn't find anything. I asked in local rescue groups and on gumtree. Can you suggest where else I can search? I live in NSW, Macarthur area. I think a presence of dog can make a positive impact on my child - not 100% sure but why not to try.

I am thinking about having a dog and I am almost a novice in keeping a dog, but I've had other pets before. I've made a research for several weeks and now I have a list of requirements. I wonder, is there a chance to find such dog, or I want too much? Age: 2-6 years old Weight: 20-35 kg Temperament: gentle, quiet, lazy couch potato, friendly with a young naughty child Obedience: should be able to walk on leash, ride in the car and not chew improper things Environment: we have a backyard about 50 square metres and I suppose the dog will be doing its toileting there. We can do walks/exercises 2-3 times a week. The dog will live mostly inside or both inside/outside. Currently we work from home, so the dog will not be alone most of times, however I want the dog could tolerate staying alone in case of anything changes. Also I wonder about monthly costs of keeping such dog (not including one-time purchases)?