A Brantford organization hosted a special Halloween party today.

The annual event aims to raise funds to train and place service dogs with children who have special needs.

Many families, and of course, dogs gathered at the Children’s Safety Village of Brant.

The second annual Autism Dog Services Halloween Party featured food, live entertainment, and dancing. It also included a pet costume parade.

With Halloween just around the corner, Vicky Spadoni, Executive Director of Autism Dog Services, emphasized the importance of educating the public about service dog etiquette.

“This is a great opportunity for us to do public education on service dog etiquette. We don’t want our service dogs to be whistled at, called, or given food of any kind because we need their attention. They are working dogs, not family pets, so we want their focus to be on their handler, not on people from the public,” Spadoni said.

Over the past several years, Autism Dog Services has successfully trained more than 150 service dogs, with a goal of training 20 to 30 dogs each year.

Spadoni noted, “We’re 80% volunteer-run. We have puppy raisers who help us train our dogs. We have a small staff, and we are always looking for more puppy raisers.”

If you’re interested in volunteering or donating, visit autismdogservices.ca for more information.