Maxi Zoo shoppers in Limerick help to provide autism assistance dogs 

MAXI ZOO customers in Limerick have helped to transform the lives of children with Autism by raising money to provide them with highly trained assistance dogs.

A whopping €25,650 was raised as part of the annual Maxi Zoo Give Paw fundraising campaign and all proceeds have been presented to Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland (AADI).

The month-long fundraising campaign was supported by local pet owners when it took place at the Maxi Zoo pet store City East Retail Park last October, offering locals the opportunity to support the national charity by buying a friendship bracelet.

“One in every 65 children in Ireland has Autism. We have over 200 children on our waiting list which we had to close due to lack of funding. In the past 24 months we have had over 1,600 families contact our charity asking us for our support,” said Nuala Geraghty, CEO, Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland.

“These are families that you no longer see in our communities because their child’s Autism is so debilitating that they cannot leave their homes. The generous contributions to Maxi Zoo’s Give Paw campaign will really help us to reach more children and their families and to change their lives and their future,” she added.

Assistance dogs are service dogs who are trained for up to two years to carry out specific tasks to support children with Autism.