Taylor Swift Donates $10,000 For Therapy Dog To Protect Five-Year-Old Boy With Autism

Taylor Swift Donates $10,000 To Buy Therapy Dog For Kid With Autism
|

Taylor Swift has cemented her place as the world's sweetest celeb by donating $10,000 (that's roughly £6,900) to buy a therapy dog for a child with autism.

The singer donated to five-year-old Jacob Hill's cause after she spotted a video of his sister Jordan Fox and her cousin Makaylee Duhon covering one of her songs to raise money.

Jordan and Makaylee, who are both 12 years old, had covered 'Blank Space' but with their own lyrics, in which they asked people to donate to buy Jacob a therapy dog.

It was then that Taylor and her mum Andrea learned of the family's plight and donated.

Open Image Modal

Jacob Hill

Jacob's GoFundMe page, which was set up by his grandmother Susan Garcia, explains that the five-year-old "struggles to verbalise his wants and needs well".

"He not only has difficulty following commands, he has no sense of danger and is prone to wandering," it reads.

"As with many children with autism, Jacob is innately drawn to water and moving cars. As a result, someone must be assigned to holding on to Jacob to ensure his safety.

"Consequently, his mom and dad never rest physically or emotionally. And, Jacob doesn't get to have the independence that every little boy deserves."

Garcia says that Jacob has been assigned an "autism service dog" which will enable him to walk alone and will prevent him from running off.

"He will be able to relieve his anxiety by applying deep pressure upon command," she adds.

"An added blessing is the companionship that the dog will provide Jacob, who struggles to make connections with other people."

While the therapy dog is a major blessing for Jacob, it also comes at a huge price.

"The cost of training a dog for almost two years to become a certified service dog, who will accompany Jacob everywhere, including school, is $13,500," says Garcia.

"The program will not begin this training until the money is raised."

When Taylor got wind of Jacob's need for a therapy dog, she immediately donated money to their GoFundMe page and wrote: "Jacob, we hope you love your new dog!

"Please tell your cousins that they did a great job on the song! Love, Taylor and Andrea Swift."

[H/T WTHR.com]

23 Reasons We Love Taylor Swift
She Loves Her Fans(01 of22)
Open Image Modal
No matter how busy she is, Taylor always takes the time to sign autographs and snap photos with her fans. (credit:AP)
She's A Teen At Heart(02 of22)
Open Image Modal
Does any musician capture the feeling of being a teenager quite like Taylor Swift? Her songs perfectly describe the ups and downs of high school life, from first dates to football games. (credit:Shutterstock)
She's Proud To Be Herself(03 of22)
Open Image Modal
Taylor often speaks out, in both her songs and in interviews, about being proud to be different. Songs like "You Belong With Me" and "mean" have inspired her fans to take pride in their differences, too. (credit:Tumblr: teenagedreaming13)
She's Gone Triple Platinum(04 of22)
Open Image Modal
Less than a month after "Red" debuted, the album has sold 3 million copies. Happy birthday to Taylor! (credit:AP)
She's A Good Role Model(05 of22)
Open Image Modal
In all the time she's been in the spotlight, Taylor has always acted with dignity and class. She stays away from sex tapes, nude photo scandals and is never seen drinking or doing drugs. (credit:Shutterstock)
She Writes Her Own Songs(06 of22)
Open Image Modal
And they become the soundtrack of our lives. (credit:Shutterstock)
She Gives Back(07 of22)
Open Image Modal
Taylor recently donated $4 million to the Country Music Hall of Fame, which will be used to fund a new education center being built in her name. She's also donated to the Alabama charity Nick's Kids and Soles4Souls, among others. (credit:Getty Images)
She's Got Awesome Besties(08 of22)
Open Image Modal
Taylor's group of friends says a lot about how awesome she is: The singer likes to hang out with some of our favorite celebs, from Selena Gomez to Ed Sheeran to Emma Stone. Just last week, Swift introduced new love interest Harry Styles to Stone at a mutual friends' birthday party in NYC! (credit:Getty Images)
She Has Great Style(09 of22)
Open Image Modal
Taylor's fashion sense has gradually evolved from sweet, girl-next-door styles to elegant, retro-inspired dresses and accessories. We always love looking out for her on the red carpet! (credit:Getty Images)
She's Made History(10 of22)
Open Image Modal
Among numerous other records she's set, Taylor Swift has sold over 20 MILLION albums, which is more than any other artist in the past decade. (credit:Shutterstock)
Her Facial Expressions(11 of22)
Open Image Modal
We love watching Taylor at awards shows -- the expressions of pure joy and excitement on her face are so infectious that we can't help but smile. (credit:Getty)
Her Twitter Is AWESOME(12 of22)
Open Image Modal
We love following @taylorswift13 for fun updates, cute observations and adorable photos of her cat.
She Loves Her Cat(13 of22)
Open Image Modal
Taylor isn't shy about her adoration for her cat, Meredith (whose name, fans pointed out, coincidentally contains the word "Red"). She recently tweeted this photo of her feline friend along with the caption, "Starting the morning. Meredith is silently judging me. Lovingly, I hope." (credit:Twitter)
She's A Romantic(14 of22)
Open Image Modal
Taylor has written love songs that have made teenagers (and teens at heart) doodle lyrics in their notebooks while dreaming about the object of their affection. We love that no matter what challenges she faces or what stands in her way, she still believes that life can be like a fairy tale. (credit:Shutterstock)
She's A Novelist & Poet(15 of22)
Open Image Modal
In fourth grade, the singer won a national competition for her poem "Monster In My Closet." And at the age of 12, she wrote her own novel. The singer is also planning an autobiography. (credit:wikimedia)
She Wrote The Best Song About Bullying Ever(16 of22)
Open Image Modal
It's thought that Taylor Swift wrote the song "Mean" about a critic who kept giving her bad reviews, but the song quickly took on a life of its own and became a full-fledged cultural phenomenon. "Mean" is now one of the biggest anti-bullying anthems out there. (credit:Shutterstock)
She's A Country Girl(17 of22)
Open Image Modal
Taylor's self-titled 2006 album contains a song called "Tim McGraw" professing her love for the country star. Although Taylor's gone in a more pop direction with her recent albums, she still stays true to her country roots -- and she's made country music history with her number-one hits. (credit:Shutterstock)
She Dreams Big(18 of22)
Open Image Modal
"I love having a goal, feeling like I'm on a mission," Swift said in an interview with Marie Claire. "I love trying to beat what I've done so far."And we love that Taylor never stops dreaming big -- and making her dreams come true. (credit:AP)
But She Stays Grounded(19 of22)
Open Image Modal
Taylor hasn't let fame get to her head -- she still remembers what's most important to her and puts that first. She said in an interview with Dolly Magazine: “I’ve always just figured that life will be much more enjoyable if I stick to what I love. I love music. I love my family. I love my friends. I love my fans. I love dresses and winter and cooking. I don’t necessarily love going out into noisy bars, so I don’t do it.” (credit:Shutterstock)
She Always Cheers Us Up(20 of22)
Open Image Modal
She's Half Of Haylor(21 of22)
Open Image Modal
After seeing these adorable photos of the pair together feeding birds in England's Lake District, we couldn't help but be charmed. Although we can already imagine the breakup song Taylor will write about Styles, we've been won over by the union of two of our favorite pop stars. (credit:StarTraks Photo)
She's Just The Best(22 of22)
Open Image Modal
What else is there to say?