My Aussie for Autism: Journal #1

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.

In my dad's ever-present enthusiam for all things "dog," as well as his unwavering committment and dedication to the needs of my autistic son, a few months back he came upon a web site called..."Autism Service Dogs of America," and immediately fowarded me the link with a note that said...."I think this is something we should look into!"

Although I was initially very interested, I worried over my son Matthew's lack of regard for my parent's dogs - and questioned how this concept could ever possibly work for us. I ended up putting aside the idea altogether in spite of the fact that I have very much wanted to add a dog to my little family and this would've been a great way to do it.

Matthew and I have four very spoiled cats (Chloe, Sinjin, Simon and Sadie), all of whom live quite comfortably with us in our relatively new, comfy, cozy, well-furnished home. I really love these cats! Oftentimes, they connect with me better than my son - which however sad to admit, is indeed the truth. But, in spite of the love I have for my cats, I miss that special bond that can only be had with a dog - and that dawg gone web site my dad recommended really had me thinking!

Trying to be especially responsible, I kept telling myself that I would only think about getting a dog after my two older cats (Chloe and Sinjin) had passed on. But.........being that those two are only 14 and 12 respectively, AND in very good health - I'd be looking at probably another five to seven years before I ever was able to get my much wanted dog! So...I needed to rethink my plans because that was simply too long to wait!

Knowing that I wouldn't be able to afford the cost of a highly trained service dog (approximately $18-20k), I thought about the possibilities of raising a dog whose very insticts leant themselves to my family's needs: social engagement and interaction, companionship, guardianship, security and moderate physical activity.

My dad is responsible for turning me onto Australian Shepherds. He fell in love with the breed and about a year ago got himself a Mini Aussie, which he named Rowdy. As is typical for my dad when interested in something new, he spent a lot of time and energy learning all there was to learn about the breed. He became so enthralled, that he was inspired to write a book (which he is still currently working on and I must say, it's very very good!!).

Everything I'd heard about Aussies from my dad, suggested that this breed could be the right kind of fit for my family. Their intelligence, their instincts, their athletic ability, and their general personality and disposition, not to mention their beauty were all very attractive to me. What my dad didn't know, was that I was slowly talking myself into (what I think were legitimate) reasons as to why I should consider thinking more seriously about getting a dog, namely an Australian Shepherd.

When my dad first introduced me to Amistad Aussies, aka Judie and Walt Manuel of Willet, Montana, he was doing so to share his excitement over finding such a wonderful resource for his book. Little did he know that I was harboring a growing desire to get an Aussie of my own. But fate took it's course as he happened to say the magic words one day...."Do you have a minute? I want to show you something!" He proceeded to pull up Judie's website so that he could show off the puppies she currently had available for sale to the "right" family/person. I took one look at those pups and I was hooked!! I knew this was the time and this was the breeder and I even knew which pup was destined to be mine. Her name was Falen. And I loved that name and the look of the pup!

Yeah, yeah, it seemed to be a very spontaneous decision - but understand that I'd been thinking about a pup for months - I just didn't realize that she existed and was waiting for me.

When my dad realized I was seriously interested...he flew from his office chair to grab the phone and call Judie. But this wasn't one of the many reference calls they shared throughout the day...this was the call of an excited fella who wanted to get a new puppy, even if it was going to be a vicarious experience through his daughter and grandson!

He left a message for Judie and I sighed in frustration, as I too was ready to get this plan rolling. But! We didn't have to wait long, although we did have time enough to compose an email to Judie explaining my interest in her pups, namely Falen.

No sooner had we sent off our email, than the phone rang and it was Judie. We spoke in depth about my interest and my plans for the pup and how I believed she could come to benefit not only my life, but more importantly the life of my son, Matthew. After a wonderful conversation, Judie believed that Matthew and I would indeed be the right home for Falen - we agreed verbally over the phone and the plans were rolling! Oh my goodness, I just bought a puppy from Montana - and she's the cutest thing EVER!

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