My Aussie for Autism: Journal #10

Our Purpose

My only child, Matthew James, is a very special little boy. Born in November of 1999, I lost him to non-verbal Autism in February 2001. He's the greatest joy of my life, although my heart still aches with hope for his life.

Matthew lives on the periphery of our world, only interacting with me or other members of our family when he wants to, or when he needs something. He's a very good little boy, but I long for him to be able to engage with his us and other aspects of our world more appropriately and comfortably.

Inspired by the idea of Animal Assisted Therapy, especially those dogs who are now being trained for children with Autism, I felt strongly that this complimentary therapy could make a difference in his life.

Unlike other families who wish to obtain an Autism Service Dog that has ALREADY been trained, and therefore a much more significant investment upfront, I felt the best option for our family - most specifically the best option for my son, was to get puppy that could grow and learn WITH him.

I knew I could inspire Matthew's interest in a dog more successfully, if he's given a longer period of time to become accustomed to one. From the day to day acclimation that would be required, he'll come to understand that a puppy learns and grows as he does - and can become a valued member of our family!

And so, I'd like to introduce you to Amistad's Falen aka "Pippi" our special dog for our special needs.

Why an Australian Shepherd?

Aussie's are known for their high level of intelligence and their strong desire to "work." I fell in love with the breed when I worked in an Assisted Living community and met "Buddy," a four year old Australian Shepherd who belonged to one of our residents. He still lives with her at the community in the special wing dedicated to residents with memory impairments. He has a wonderful personality, and it was evident that he thoroughly enjoyed visiting with all of the many people he came into contact with everyday.

In an article from Psychiatric Times, "Therapy with children now part of a dog's life," (which I've also included in our blog's navigation to the right) Child and adolescent psychiatrist Rachel Fleissner, M.D., has two trained dogs assisting her in therapy with children diagnosed with mental and developmental disorders. Those dogs are Australian Shepherds!

Because Australian Shepherds are "sight dogs," they are masters at reading body language, said Fleissner.

Having a child who is non-verbal means having to suffer through a crash-course in reading body language! After much research on the topic of Autism Service Dogs, I knew that the Australian Shepherd breed was going to be a good fit for my son and me.

"We've got so much time and so little to do... scratch that... reverse it." ~Willy Wonka

I've been dealing with the challenges of life lately, and not stolen any time to remark upon my dealings! ;-)

Let's see, how to catch up? Since my last post, we're underway with Pippi's training at Dogwood. It's terrific!! She's an excellent student and I am very proud of her! But I have to admit, that I have to bring my "A" game too, because it's a class that truly teaches us both.

Our current struggle is for me to curb her penchant for running off when she's not on lead She becomes extremely stubborn and independant and doesn't care about listening to my "Come" command - however assertive and pack-leader-ish! This lesson has been my homework and what I will certainly continue to focus on with her until I've made myself clear and she responds appropriately.

I've acquired a long training lead for use in continued training. The greatest challenge with her is that she's not only an Aussie, but an absolute Alpha female. She is constantly trying to push the envelope with me. It can become very frustrating - but I remind myself that it's what makes her such an amazing dog!

Let me quickly interject that - training at Dogwood is for me and her alone at this time. My dad and I decided that it's best right now to better understand HER and her personality, and get her basic obedience under control before we move forward trying to establish further structured relations between her and Matthew.

Where I AM focusing my attentions is to establish concurrent "signs" for her commands so that she quite literally will be a bilingual Aussie. My hope is for her to be so STRONG in her instincts as a "sight/eye" dog that she responds solely to "signed commands" as opposed to verbal commands. She's absolutely PERFECT at this. And everday her proficiencies reaffirm my inspirations and hopes for her long-term connection with my son!!

Tonight is another class at Dogwood - so I'll be updating our blog more regularly from now on! Again, my heartfelt thanks go out to Jean Hilton for making this beginning possible!

Until next time...

My Favorite Quotes About Dogs

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went
~Will Rogers

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.
~Ben Williams

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.
~Josh Billings

The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.
~Andy Rooney

We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It’s the best deal man has ever made.
~M. Acklam