# Would like some info about service dogs for autism



## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

My grandson is autistic. My daughter just asked me if I knew anything about service dogs for autism.
He's only 3 years old, and was wondering what your thoughts are?

Do you know anything about the services that offer these dogs?

Suggestions are welcomed.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

I don't...what does she want the dog to do?


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I don't know about dogs, but cats are suppose to be great for kids with autism.


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## DunRingill (Dec 28, 2007)

Dogs for Autism:
index


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

DunRingill said:


> Dogs for Autism:
> index


Very nice website.


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

I hope I won't offend you, I really enjoy your photos and posts. I can't explain this well, its more of a feeling, but I really don't think service dogs should be for small children, in general. I'm sure there are a few exceptions.

I had a special needs child, with cerebral palsy, but I was very lucky in that she had no behavioral problems, but she did have seizures. Thinking back on those years, I would not want a dog in charge of my child, and with all the stresses I had to deal with I would not want to be in charge of a service dog. 

I suppose your daughter would need to have some specific goals in mind, and go from there. What about an excellent family pet dog or even a cat? My neighbor, an adult man has a GSD service dog, he is partially blind. His dog however is so reactive with other dogs, barks a lot. So just so this dog is super trained in one area of expertise, does not mean it's an easy dog to handle. Sorry to hear about your grandson, with early intervention and a support family like you, he may have a good outcome.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Gretchen said:


> What about an excellent family pet dog or even a cat? My neighbor, an adult man has a GSD service dog, he is partially blind. His dog however is so reactive with other dogs, barks a lot. So just so this dog is super trained in one area of expertise, does not mean it's an easy dog to handle. Sorry to hear about your grandson, with early intervention and a support family like you, he may have a good outcome.


I know cats work, but my bigger question is are you sure the neighbors GSD is a real service dog? I have never seen a service dog that reacted to anything and still be a service dog...I just had a vision of this dog pulling the partially blind guy down the street, to get to a dog...it was not a pretty vision


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

llombardo said:


> I know cats work, but my bigger question is are you sure the neighbors GSD is a real service dog? I have never seen a service dog that reacted to anything and still be a service dog...I just had a vision of this dog pulling the partially blind guy down the street, to get to a dog...it was not a pretty vision


Absolutely, he is visually impaired, and it is a real service dog. This is his 3rd one. The first one was hit by a car, someone who did not stop or look, the second got old, he was friendly - he was allowed to greet my old dog. The 3rd one, a female, seems very protective or reactive to other dogs.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Gretchen said:


> Absolutely, he is visually impaired, and it is a real service dog. This is his 3rd one. The first one was hit by a car, someone who did not stop or look, the second got old, he was friendly - he was allowed to greet my old dog. The 3rd one, a female, seems very protective or reactive to other dogs.


That is weird, I have a lab that is in training to become a service dog in one of my classes, strictly for the purpose of training...No people or dogs are allowed to interact with him ever, except the person he goes to. I have never seen a service dog that so much as blinked at other people or other dogs and its always been a NO NO to touch especially if they are on duty


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## marinehoney (Feb 5, 2012)

My son is autistic and I can agree with other members that service dogs arent going to do much help. We have 2 german shepherds (non service) that were still training basics to. They are family dogs and my son has tremendously improved after having them around. I disagree with the cat suggestions.


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

Gretchen said:


> I hope I won't offend you, I really enjoy your photos and posts. I can't explain this well, its more of a feeling, but I really don't think service dogs should be for small children, in general. I'm sure there are a few exceptions.
> 
> I had a special needs child, with cerebral palsy, but I was very lucky in that she had no behavioral problems, but she did have seizures. Thinking back on those years, I would not want a dog in charge of my child, and with all the stresses I had to deal with I would not want to be in charge of a service dog.
> 
> I suppose your daughter would need to have some specific goals in mind, and go from there. What about an excellent family pet dog or even a cat? My neighbor, an adult man has a GSD service dog, he is partially blind. His dog however is so reactive with other dogs, barks a lot. So just so this dog is super trained in one area of expertise, does not mean it's an easy dog to handle. Sorry to hear about your grandson, with early intervention and a support family like you, he may have a good outcome.


Not sure why you think you'll offend me. I came here for information. 

My grandson is three yrs. A friend of my daughter suggested that she look into a service dog to assist in the development of my grandson. 
I know nothing about this, so I sought suggestions. 
I've been doing some reading, and I see that many people do in fact get dogs for autistic children. 

My first reaction was that she already has her hands full, and a dog would only complicate matters. 

I don't agree with her getting a dog, but like to hear of any experiences, if any.


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

DunRingill said:


> Dogs for Autism:
> index


Thanks for the link

Very nice to see this.


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

A couple of things to keep in mind: a service dog cannot operate independently of a handler... Meaning that your grandson is also always going to need an adult handler around (at least in the forseeable future), and this is a huge time expenditure.

There is a lot of debate over where dogs for autistic people fall; under the legal guidelines of the ADA a service dog is only legally so if its owner cannot function in daily life without it. Dogs do work marvels for people with autism (I have aspergers and my dog comes to work, etc) but it is highly debatable whether they're protected under law or if they're emotional support/assistance dogs. 

Get an excellent family dog, work with the dog and your grandson, but no...I don't think a service dog is worth it or feasible.


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## lorihd (Nov 30, 2011)

has your daughter looked into horseback riding therapy? i did that for my boys when they were little (recommended by a therapist) it was FANTASTIC! they work on auditory processing, play games, have them help groom the horse etc.... the people who run these programs are trained professionals. Good luck with your grandson anthony.


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## sashadog (Sep 2, 2011)

I have a friend who volunteered with HABIC here in Colorado, it stands for the "Human Animal Bond in Colorado" and she would go every week, twice a week to a local elementary school to work specifically with a young boy with autisim. It was an incredible experience for her and the boy she and her dog worked with benefited tremendously!! However, I don't think they're necessarily a good idea as an actually "service dog." JMO... Maybe look into programs like that in your area? Animal assistated therapy is becoming more and more common so hopefully there are resources where you or your daughter live. Also, the horse-back riding idea is wonderful as well. I volunteered at a theraputic riding center a couple years back and it's a really neat type of therapy  The good animals can do for people is really cool to watch!


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

The DFA folks are only able to supply local needs I believe but I am sure they can help steer you to the right resources. They are in Greenville SC area.

These are a working line of GSD bred using some of the same foundation lines that my Beau comes from only taken in a different direction [the genetics in the fatherline of their dogs is in the motherline of my dog]. Actually one of their service dog "rejects" and upcoming stud dogs is on my SAR team. Very nice dog but a bit too much ball drive for working with a child...Hits a tug like a rocket too. But you can't have a couch potato dog as these dogs are working more than most working dogs.

As always the balance with working service dogs and working dogs exists. [FWIW-Lycos v Sontausen is their foundation sire and Lark v Sontausen is foundation dam for most of the modern Sontausen dogs-I believe that the sire of the very well known Lark was my breeder, Kathy Holbert's working police dog Kaso (I think he was Kathy's dog) and Julie Nye of DFA had Hannah, who was Lark and Lycos' mother at the time...]

They are quite impressive. The dogs have to shadow the kids and contain them in areas and alert the family if they leave and they cannot sucesfully block them. They have very basic search skills for locating them immediately [ie go back tell the family and take them to the child) as autistic children are often prone to wander and hide in the most unusual places. They also have a calming effect on the kids. 

DFA has a facebook page too.


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## sashadog (Sep 2, 2011)

That's so cool! I'm forever amazed at what these dogs can do...


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

Gretchen said:


> Absolutely, he is visually impaired, and it is a real service dog. This is his 3rd one. The first one was hit by a car, someone who did not stop or look, the second got old, he was friendly - he was allowed to greet my old dog. The 3rd one, a female, seems very protective or reactive to other dogs.


 
Other than acting as a Seeing Eye guide dog, what tasks would a service dog do for someone who is blind?

And to see a SD who is in the least aggressive to other dogs or people sounds like NOT a real SD. Or at least like one who would be disqualified to go into businesses under the ADA wouldn't it? That dog sounds like a real threat!


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

Kira has an amazing temperament.... I'm wondering if I can get Kira into some type of formalized training, possibly use Kira to play a roll in this?
She's already amazing with the children. She has terrific bite inhibition, and already interacts nicely. The answer might be right in front of me.

What do you think?

Even just a few days a week with Kira could be the difference. 

Here's a link that seems to address this:

http://www.autismassistancedog.com/trainers.htm

I'll look into this a bit further.


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## jetscarbie (Feb 29, 2008)

I don't know a lot about service dogs....but at the local high school around here...there is a teenaged girl that has a service dog. I think she is classified as blind.

That dog is amazing. The girl also. There has been several write-ups in our paper about the both of them.

Anyway, my daughter said at the beginning of the school year, everybody had to go to a meeting and it was explained to all the kids NOT to mess with the dog. They explained how the dog helps the girl. That dog takes the girl around school every single day. That dog knows the girl's route that she takes to each class (b/c the trainers/girl worked with the dog during the summertime to teach the dog where to go)

Then the amazing part........the girl and her dog then go to track. They are somewhat superstars with the cross country and other track events. I don't know about anybody else...but I am always in awe everytime I see them running together.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Bascially you are talking about using Kira as a therapy dog a few days a week which could be good for him as they can relate to dogs in special ways, but not as a service dog for an autistic child. Could still have value but I know those service dogs become an extension of that child and they become extremely attached to each other....and it is 24/7.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Contact DFA.


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## tank101 (Mar 30, 2012)

My friends mom has a service dog. I can't remember the reason(something with stress and panic attacks) The dog has to go to training for 8 weeks. The owner then had to fly to where the dog was being trained and do 4 weeks of training with the dog. The dog(which is an English Mastiff so she is pretty big,lol) can not react to anything. Dogs, people,cats ect.. When we are at school events and she is there with the dog she always people to pet the dog ect.. The dog just loves me so as soon as she sees me so will look at me and if the owner sees this she will usually walk over to me and I can pet her and I also talk with the owner about SD's and just chat. If the dog was reactive and pulled and had bad manners she would be "disqualified" and no longer be a service dog. 

Here is an article I found of an Autistic boy and his Golden R. Boy Interrupted: An Autistic Boy and His Dog 

I know a lot of people who do Therapy work with there dog and they LOVE it. The dogs love it also. It is a lot of work I heard though.


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

jetscarbie said:


> I don't know a lot about service dogs....but at the local high school around here...there is a teenaged girl that has a service dog. I think she is classified as blind.
> 
> That dog is amazing. The girl also. There has been several write-ups in our paper about the both of them.
> 
> ...


OT, but I read a bunch of articles about them! She's incredible (and so's her dog  ) 



llombardo said:


> I know cats work, but my bigger question is are you sure the neighbors GSD is a real service dog? I have never seen a service dog that reacted to anything and still be a service dog...I just had a vision of this dog pulling the partially blind guy down the street, to get to a dog...it was not a pretty vision


That's one of those things where it's because there's no certification process, etc... there's so much gray area on what a service dog is vs. what it's supposed to be, and service dogs don't have to be professionally trained. If the guy qualifies as having a disability and he says his dog is a service dog, then it doesn't matter how well trained/behaved the dog is. I saw a "service dog" tearing through an airport dragging it's owner behind it


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## jetscarbie (Feb 29, 2008)

I asked one of my very good friends this question this morning in email. Her son is autistic. She does a lot of work for the community teaching them about autism. Her son is 14 and she works very hard.

This is what she wrote to me.



> I think service dogs for kids with autism is a fantastic idea - a dog can help a child to connect emotionally, without the demands that connecting with another person has. I saw something recently on NatGeo about service dogs for autistic kids, and the effects it had on the kids was really amazing. Connecting with the animal helped to improve social skills, verbal skills, eye contact, and the dog was also able to help keep the kids safe.One of the children profiled would dash out into traffic, and his service dog was the only thing that was able to stop him from doing that.
> 
> I think that if you have a kid with a disability, the most empowering thing you can do is to educate yourself, so you can help your kid as much as possible


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## Zoeys mom (Jan 23, 2010)

My son is autistic and Zoe has been a godsend. I am sure I will get flamed but I don't see the need for an autistic child to have an actual SD, however pets in general are naturally therapeutic. Zoe bonded with my son shortly after coming home at 10 weeks. They sleep together, she wakes us if he sneaks out of bed, or wakes up. She follows him constantly, will lie with him when he has a tantrum, lick his tears, and always manage to make him laugh. She was the only one he would say his ABC's too when he was younger, and still he will only read to her. They have a unique bond and while all these benefits were accidental she has made daily life with him much easier. She is his only real friend, she understands him, doesn't judge him, never angers with his behavior, and is always there no matter what his mood is.

A puppy and an autistic child can be a challenge for sure, but I think pets in general are beneficial to their emotional well being.....and puppies grow up


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Zoey's mom....I don't know why you would be flamed....I know autism has such a broad definition that some feel the need for service dogs to interrupt repetitive behaviors, Keep them on the property etc and others just need a "best friend" like your son. 

Most of the calls our SAR team gets are primarily dementia patients and autistic children (who seem to have an unusual fascination with water)......Anything a family can do to keep them from leaving is a godsend. I would be looking into GPS bracelets, dogs, keeping a SOLID description file with prints of all shoes worn by the child, scent articles (You can take a used pilowcase and freeze for, I think, about 6 months in a plastic bag-and, for God's sake if a child goes missing - stay out of the bedroom because that is where the best scent articles are), pictures, honest description of behavior around strangers and dogs). One thing we have seen, and as autism looses its *stigma* - some folks will deny the child has the condition for a day or two because they don't want it on the news. WE don't ever say anything as our code of ethics binds us not to and I imagine the same with the police. But honesty is very important. A lot of these children tend to hide and even climb trees very high and not respond to calls. Fear of the dark and unknown often does not register. Attractive things like horns and whistles often backfire. The good news is they also have, statistically, a better chance of surviving than a non autistic child (except for the very young and water)

A downside of an untrained dog is often the child gets lost by following the dog into the woods. With GSDs - not so much as they tend to be very much home bodies and not as likely to wander as a breed.


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## LaneyB (Feb 5, 2012)

I know a person with Asperger's who has a service dog, but she is an adult. She works in a setting with a lot of people, and the dog comes with her to work every day. Having the dog with her keeps her calm. When she starts to get upset or overwhelmed she takes a break and pets the dog. Also, she is uncomfortable with her social skills, and the dog is a real ice-breaker at work. Everybody wants to know about him, and she likes to talk about him. He is with her all the time.


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## nitemares (Dec 15, 2005)

marinehoney said:


> My son is autistic and I can agree with other members that service dogs arent going to do much help. We have 2 german shepherds (non service) that were still training basics to. They are family dogs and my son has tremendously improved after having them around. I disagree with the cat suggestions.


Same here, although the cat was a good starter pet, my son improved after I got the cat, and now he's a lot better since we got a puppy. As a mother of one, I definitely recommend a pet dog.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

Zoeys mom, I loved reading how great zoey is with your son And I agree with your post, a dog or other pet/animal, doesn't necessarily have to be a certified whatever, to accomplish amazing things for a person with 'whatever' affliction they may have.

I'm sure what zoey does naturally must amaze you all on a daily basis, and I'm glad she's there for your son


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

LaneyB said:


> I know a person with Asperger's who has a service dog, but she is an adult. She works in a setting with a lot of people, and the dog comes with her to work every day. Having the dog with her keeps her calm. When she starts to get upset or overwhelmed she takes a break and pets the dog. Also, she is uncomfortable with her social skills, and the dog is a real ice-breaker at work. Everybody wants to know about him, and she likes to talk about him. He is with her all the time.


Essentially everything I "use" Echo for... he's my white knight :wub:. He comes to work every day with me and most social functions, but he's not with me 100% of the time. I think my point in discussing the legality is that I can in fact function without him (maybe not "normally", but I can function), so we're not technically protected under the ADA. That's where the legalese between service and assistance dog falls into place, and that territory gets especially sticky with a very, very young child who cannot handle the dog independently. It's one of those "heavy is the burden" type of things with having a 'full-fledged' service dog vs. assistance dog, emotional support dog, etc. None of what I'm saying discounts the value of dogs to autistic children/people, it's more of a cost/benefit analysis.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

LaneyB said:


> I know a person with Asperger's who has a service dog, but she is an adult. She works in a setting with a lot of people, and the dog comes with her to work every day.* Having the dog with her keeps her calm. When she starts to get upset or overwhelmed she takes a break and pets the dog. Also, she is uncomfortable with her social skills, and the dog is a real ice-breaker at work.* Everybody wants to know about him, and she likes to talk about him. He is with her all the time.


 
Other than a companion, what service tasks does the dog do for her? Isn't a requirement of a SD that they have to be able to do certain defined trained tasks for the handicapped person? 

I obviously am not real familiar with the law but I thought that this was requirement for a "legal" SD?


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## LaneyB (Feb 5, 2012)

_Other than a companion, what service tasks does the dog do for her? Isn't a requirement of a SD that they have to be able to do certain defined trained tasks for the handicapped person? _

Maybe he is an assistance dog rather than a service dog? I don't think he does anything other than that, but he is allowed to come to work with her, and I have seen him with her in restaurants. Is that what you meant, LoveEcho, about the difference btw service and assistance?


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

LaneyB said:


> _Other than a companion, what service tasks does the dog do for her? Isn't a requirement of a SD that they have to be able to do certain defined trained tasks for the handicapped person? _
> 
> Maybe he is an assistance dog rather than a service dog? I don't think he does anything other than that, but he is allowed to come to work with her, and I have seen him with her in restaurants. Is that what you meant, LoveEcho, about the difference btw service and assistance?


Yep! I will take him into restaurants in town where the owner knows me, but legally anyone has the right to kick us out of anywhere. Most people would assume service dog (he wears a 'do not pet' vest) and not say anything, and I'm not trying to masquerade him as one, so we typically avoid places where dogs aren't allowed in the first place when he's with me. He's not technically allowed at work but they gave me written permission.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

> Maybe he is an assistance dog rather than a service dog?


Assistance Dog and Service Dog are the same thing. Different organizations in the U.S. call them different names but they are the same under the law. For some reason the Dept. of Justice calls them Service Dog which crosses over many calling police or military service dogs also. 

Throughout the rest of the world they are mostly called Assistance Dogs. Organizations that deal with *Service Dogs* from around the world such as the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP) break this group down in the following manner:

Assistance Dogs
1) Guide Dogs
2) Hearing Dogs
3) Service Dogs

As I suggest to people, know how the terms are being used when speaking laws and benefits within a group.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Zoeys mom said:


> My son is autistic and Zoe has been a godsend. I am sure I will get flamed but I don't see the need for an autistic child to have an actual SD, however pets in general are naturally therapeutic. Zoe bonded with my son shortly after coming home at 10 weeks. They sleep together, she wakes us if he sneaks out of bed, or wakes up. She follows him constantly, will lie with him when he has a tantrum, lick his tears, and always manage to make him laugh. She was the only one he would say his ABC's too when he was younger, and still he will only read to her. They have a unique bond and while all these benefits were accidental she has made daily life with him much easier. She is his only real friend, she understands him, doesn't judge him, never angers with his behavior, and is always there no matter what his mood is.
> 
> A puppy and an autistic child can be a challenge for sure, but I think pets in general are beneficial to their emotional well being.....and puppies grow up


I agree with this 100%. My son has a dx of Asperger's/high functioning autism (along with other dx's) and his Dachshund, Conan, has been very good for him. He pets Conan when he's stressed/upset, and Conan helps him stop and think when he's having rage symptoms. I'd never discount getting a dog as a pet first, and (usually) the dogs sense there's something going on different with the autistic child and gravitate towards that child. 
This is a good thing and if Anthony's sister wants a pet that's great and ought to be encouraged - but I'd not recommend getting a dog specifically for that child.


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

ILGHAUS said:


> Assistance Dog and Service Dog are the same thing. Different organizations in the U.S. call them different names but they are the same under the law. For some reason the Dept. of Justice calls them Service Dog which crosses over many calling police or military service dogs also.
> 
> Throughout the rest of the world they are mostly called Assistance Dogs. Organizations that deal with *Service Dogs* from around the world such as the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP) break this group down in the following manner:
> 
> ...


Wow, I learned something new today... thank you! I've always been told that they're not the same... kind of scary how few people actually know the laws. I stand very corrected.


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