Three-year-old Shane Traver looks like many other little boys his age. His big eyes and toothy grin can light up a room.

"He's the happiest little boy you've ever seen," said Shane's mother, Michele.

But Shane cannot speak.

"He's almost four, and I've never heard him say, 'Mom, I love you,'" Michele said.

Just after his second birthday, Shane was diagnosed with autism, a developmental disorder affecting communication and social skills.

"For kids with autism, everything is different," Michele said.

Shane is "painfully shy," said his mother. "To leave the security and comfort of home can be an endeavor." An endeavor resulting in tantrums and meltdowns.

There is no known history of autism in their family, Michele said, so after Shane's diagnosis, she and her husband, Kevin, began researching various ways to help improve Shane's life.

Shane, the second of the couple's three children, communicates through body language and picture boards. He removes pictures of things that he wants and hands them to his parents, a stark difference from his 7-year-old sister, Lily, who was speaking in "paragraphs" by age 1, said Michele.

Shane attends preschool at East Wareham Elementary and receives speech and occupational therapy to help with his symptoms. Michele even changed the family's diet to one that is gluten-free, because she read that that might help.

"We've tried it all," Michele said. "You name it, we're doing it. Anything to help him."

Then Michele discovered The North Star Foundation (www.NorthStarDogs.com). The Connecticut nonprofit breeds and partners service dogs with children who face social, emotional, and educational challenges. More than half of the children helped by the foundation have autism.

Michele contacted the North Star late last month, and it determined that Shane and the family would be a great match for a golden retriever puppy, which will be born this fall.

A service dog would provide innumerable benefits to the family. The presence of a familiar service dog tends to calm and comfort autistic children during new situations and periods of anxiety, Michele said. And the dog would provide a level of safety, protection, and peace-of-mind for the family, because Shane tends to wander.

The family also hopes the dog will help close social gaps between Shane and his peers, as children often can't resist saying hello to a furry friend.

And now the race is on.

The Travers must come up with $5,000 by November 1 to secure a puppy. The money, a donation to the North Star Foundation, covers the cost of the dog, training, routine vet care for the first year, spaying or neutering, and travel equipment.

"Shane is at such a perfect age to bond with a dog," Michele said, adding that it was pure luck that she found out about North Star so soon before its next litter of puppies is scheduled to be born. The foundation encourages early placement of the dogs to ensure a strong bond from the start.

The puppy will have to live with a training family for several months, but the Travers will make regular visits to facilitate a bond. If the money is raised in time, Shane should have his puppy by late next spring or early next summer.

The family has raised $731 so far, in just a week's time. That includes a $5.70 donation from Lily, who raided her piggy bank to help her brother (Mom threw in an extra $.30 to make the donation an even $6).

If you would like to help in the effort to get Shane a service dog, checks can be made out to "North Star Foundation" and mailed to the following address. (Please put "Shane Traver" on the memo line so the family receives the donation.)

Patty Dobbs Gross
North Star Foundation
20 Deerfield Lane
Storrs, CT 06268

Funds can also be donated via PayPal.com. Contact North Star Foundation Executive Director Patty Dobbs Gross, at northstarfoundation@charter.net, for more information. All donations are tax deductible.

Additionally, a fundraiser is being planned for the family for later this month. If you are interested in donating raffle prizes, food, or a venue to host the event, please contact Michele Traver at 508-525-7080 or e-mail m_thompson88@hotmail.com.

The family knows that raising $5,000 in such a short period of time will not be easy, but is taking on the task for Shane.

"This could change his life," Michele said.