My Aussie for Autism: Journal #6

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.

My brother Jimmy came to stay the night with Matthew, me, and Pippi. Like Matthew, my brother also has special needs. He's not Autistic, but he is mentally retarded. He and I are VERY close and he was JUST as excited about Pippi as I was. He also thought it was great that Matthew was going to have someone special to help me watch out for him.

We arrived at my house and pulled into my garage. When we took her inside, all four of my cats scattered - they weren't willing to make this easy on us. They'd decide to introduce themselves in their OWN time. So be it.

Matthew went on his own way amd scooted off to his room to get his favorite toys out and his favorite movie playing on his tv. So Jimmy and I acclimated Pippi to her new home.

We bombarded her with all of the new toys and chewies I'd purchased for her. I even took her to see her new VERY fancy water bowl - it's called a Big Dog Drink Well. It allows you to filter the water for the freshest water possible, as well circulates the water to KEEP it fresh and filtered. Because of the circulation, it's like a little fountain and Pippi just LOVED it. I'd learn later that she LOVE LOVE LOVES water!

Jimmy and I took her outside to introduce her to her new backyard! She ran around a little bit and very nicely went potty. I really praised her for her good behavior.

We spent the rest of the evening watching and playing with her. Matthew eventually came back into the living room with us and wanted to watch one of his favorite DVD's on our TV. So the rest of the night passed with us all together in the living room - us watching her, and she watching us. Every now and again Matthew would look at Pippi and she'd look at him. She was just too tired to make too much of a fuss. So..it was off to the crate for the night.

Her crate was placed right next to my bed in my bedroom. She really didn't want to go back into her crate after the long and trying day she'd spent in it. But I had to harden my heart as I knew this was what would be best for her training in the long run.

I dimmed the lights in my room and went back into the living room to get dinner going for us. She didn't make a peep. When I checked on her later - she was sound asleep. God bless her little heart.

What we all thought was funny was the fact that she hadn't barked at all while playing with the other two dogs. I thought it was perhaps that she was still new to her surroundings and uncertain of her place. I was right.

It only took a few days for her to come out of her "shell." Although she really isn't much of a talker - she playfully growled and barked at Rowdy over the course of the next few days as her comfort level grew.

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