Fourfold rise in demand for autism assistance dogs

REQUESTS for assistance dogs for children with autism have risen fourfold as desperate parents turn to untrained animals, charities have said.

The charity Dogs for Good said demand for the companion animals was “at an all-time high”, with 1,500 people asking about dogs over the past year. But the intensive training required costs £21,000 per dog, and the charity said it could only provide 10 each year.

The rise in demand is thought to be a result of an increasing number of children being diagnosed with autism and greater awareness of assistance dogs.

Figures from Dogs for Good and Support Dogs, the only other regulated charity training the dogs, showed that there were 3,795 inquiries in 2017 compared with 946 in 2012.

Both charities warned that dogs from unregulated organisations could lack the proper training.

Rita Howson, the chief executive of Support Dogs, told the BBC: “The concern is that there are waiting lists, people may go elsewhere and there are people out there who may be manipulating the situation.”