A boy and his ‘soon-to-be’ best friend

Becca Gladden
Contributing Writer

Kade Brandhagen is a 9-year-old autistic boy who lives in Anthem with his parents Randy and Sharolyn. The Brandhagens are trying to raise funds to help cover the costs of adopting a specially trained assistance dog to be a friend to Kade and to him safe in public settings.

ANTHEM – Imagine being the parents of a 9-year-old boy who has never had a friend. Worse yet, you have no way of knowing how that makes him feel.

That is just one example of the myriad challenges facing Randy and Sharolyn Brandhagen, Anthem residents and the parents of Kade, who is autistic.

"One of the greatest struggles for me is wondering if Kade is unhappy about not having any friends," says Randy. "Kade is unable to tell me."

Though unable to communicate verbally, Kade is a highly intelligent boy whose smile lights up a room. Autism is a disorder that impairs an individual's ability to communicate with and relate to the world around him. It strikes four times as many boys as girls, and there are currently no effective means to prevent it or fully effective treatments or cure.

Like many autistic children, Kade has a great deal of frustration and confusion in his daily life due to his inability to communicate verbally and to process stimuli as other children do. He craves physical input by way of deep pressure, hugs, swinging, running, and jumping. He has no concept of danger and, as an athletic child who can outrun members of his family, his physical safety is a constant concern for his parents, particularly when they venture out in public.

But the focus of this story is not one of sadness or despair. This is a story of hope for Kade and his parents, who desire to normalize their child's life as much as possible. Toward that end, a fundraising effort is now under way to help Kade meet his first friend; one who is also man's best friend.

4 Paws for Ability is a non-profit agency that places skilled Autism Assistance Dogs with families like the Brandhagens. Kade's parents are working with 4 Paws to obtain an autism service dog that will be specially trained for their son’s unique needs and abilities. The cost of training and placing the dog is a staggering $14,000, which is why friends of the Brandhagens have formed the group "A Boy and His Dog" to help raise funds to cover the costs. An additional $4000 is needed for transportation for Kade and his family to and from the 4 Paws training facility in Ohio and to defer the cost of transporting the service dog back to Arizona.

4 Paws for Life has already placed over 100 Autism Assistance Dogs with families throughout the country, and the positive impact on the lives of the children and families is nothing short of miraculous.

Along with providing comfort, companionship, and the type of bond that only a dog can offer, Kade’s dog will play a vital role in overseeing his safety. The dog would be trained in tracking with the ability to quickly locate Kade if he wanders away or enters into a dangerous setting. And because he would be tethered to his dog in public, Kade could walk on his own instead of being in a shopping cart or stroller and would be safer in crowds or parking lots, unable to dart into traffic or run away from caregivers.

But beyond the many practical advantages, Kade's dad can't help but dream of the grander implications for his little boy's life.

"A service dog might become my son's first friend, and lend itself to helping Kade make his first human friend," said Brandhagen.

A friend for Kade – just one of many happy "tails" that Randy and Sharolyn hope to tell very soon.

Editor’s note: We first heard about Kade from a concerned reader who suggested we tell his story. If you would like to donate to this cause, the Brandhagens have a Web site at www.aboyandhisdog.org.