Brunni – Autism and pet therapy
So why does serendipity come into it? Well Saturday was the day we went to collect our son’s dog from Battersea Dogs Home.
As readers may know our son , John, lives with classic autism and for sometime now we have been considering getting a dog as one of his autism therapies. There have been a lot of reports that having an animal in the family can really help with a child social skills. This is a challenging area for John and is our key reason for getting a family pet.
The dog, whose name is Brunni, is a ten week old puppy. Called a Jug by those in the know she is half Jack Russell and have Pug. In fact she is not formally a therapy dog. These do exist in the UK but a very hard to get hold of. We were turned down because the people providing them in the UK needed us to live within ten miles of a particular small town.
(I’ve been told trained autism service dogs cost in the region of $6,000-$7,000 which would put off a lot of people sadly!).
So why am I writing this blog? Apart from the obvious opportunity to put up a picture of Brunni. (see above). Well , again my wife and I are looking for tips, ideas and hints as to how best Brunni can help John.
I would be great if you could use the comments box below to share any ideas and experiences you have has as to how having a family pet can help a child (or of course an adult) with autistic spectrum disorder.
While my wife had a dog when we has young this is the first time I’ve lived in house with a puppy so it is all a bit daunting. Any advice would be well received.
Even better why not share a photo of you dog using the comments box.
Many thanks in advance!
My son is asd and the last three months very withdrawn and wont go out my friend came over with her dog.my son was a different child even went out to walk him i got so much joy in that hour i wish i had money to buy him one. Animals are best thing in the world to my son xx
Autism service dogs are becoming a great resource very quickly among the families with autistic kids. Not only these animals nicely enrich lives of the kids that they are basically assigned to, however they make a great number of the ordinary activities way easier for the parents to complete.
http://www.aschealthcare.co.uk/
We have a Jug & he is a professional sleeper… He’s my therapy dog after I got an ABI after a car accident & he comes for naps with me and lives cuddles… Jugs are perfect therapy dogs they don’t get too big but are very sweet caring dogs that form a strong bond with their human & are very loyal!
Max is 2 years old and his Mommy is my daughter Rhi who is almost 21. We got Max when he was 8 weeks old. He stole all of hearts with his spunkiness and loving ways. My Rhi is high functioning autistic. I have been told I am Max’s Nannita and not his Mom. So Max in my grand dog! It melts my heart every time I think of how much love he has brought our family. Max is the glue that brought our family together. He knows something is different with Rhi and he loves her anyways. The first night he came home to live with us she stayed up all night with him and slept by his cage. To this day at night time Max sleeps with his Mommy. Max taught Rhi how to love more and to take care of others. Max opened up a part of my heart that I never thought I would feel for a pet. I believe we sometimes are sent angels in many forms to gently teach us lessons, fix problems, mend broken places within us and so much more!
Clara has been working with children and adults with autism and adults with intellectual disabilities for a year now. I adopted Clara when she was only 4 weeks old, and she has been a great therapy cat!
DanaJane Do you have a breed you would recommend for people with autism?
DanaJane Our son does not like to sleep on his own so we are hoping Brunne will help him by sleeping in his room
By the way, the pug may be a good trait for this but the Jack Russell may be a little hyper? Good luck. You can train the dog the way you want to is also good being a puppy and growing up together.
I don’t think you should have to pay a lot of money to get a good dog for your child. I adopted a 5 month old dog from the pound for my at the time 6 year old. I was single and did not know my son had autism. My son was scared of many things. He did not even want to go in the bathroom by himself. When I got this dog. She (Missy) she immediately would follow him around and sit at the bathroom until he was done. My son would lay on her while watching tv on the floor like a pillow. She would not move until he did. Today my son is 15 and she still lays at the bathroom door waiting for him to take a shower or what ever as if it is her duty. I suggest getting a dog like a border collie or a working dog. She feels she is doing a job and we in turn reward her. Get a dog that has these type of traits and I don’t think you will go wrong.
My son and brother (I live with both) are high-functioning, so I’m not sure how much helpful advice I can give. We have 3 small dogs, each a different breed, and each dog has it’s own personality. My brother enjoys Rox and Maggie because they are good cuddlers. Every night, he takes one of the 2 out of their crate, and goes to bed with him or her. My son likes Ryder because he’s the calmest and most tollerant. He’s the least likely of the 3 to walk off because Lucien is being a pest. I make both help with dog care, but, ultimately, I am responsible for more than 90% of their care (feeding, walking, etc.). If you can, have John give your dogs treats. You may have to hold his hand and guide him. From growing up with dogs, I find that giving them food and treats is an easy way to make them like you. It always bugs my brother, but the dogs are always more concerned with what I want from them or where I am than they are with the rest of the household combined. I provide food and discipline, thus I am alpha. So, treats and feeding are probably your best bet, since you can, at minimum, always have him present. Oh, and my son always gets to pick which dog gets his scraps, when he’s done eating, and it’s always Ryder. Since he’ll feed him the scraps in Ryder’s crate himself, it, again, helps to get Ryder to like and respect him.
NadineCline Thanks Nadine. Yes it may prove an issue for not being able to take him in public. How long are you able to leave him alone for?
We purchased a miniature poodle. The dog is not trained as a therapy dog and we are having to pay for our own obedience classes. With that said here are the pro’s. The poodle mini is not too small to get stepped on and injured and not too heavy for me to deal with. It is very and I mean very smart. Ours is about 6 months old and can sense when my daughter who has medical issues is not well. It loves the entire family and has a great personality but because we had her bond with him the second she walks into a room he is at her heals to make sure she is ok. The cost of the actual classes is far less than any other way we could have gone. Con, we cant take him into a public place because he is not a certified therapy dog. Since we spend most of our time at home or places where he can go it was the perfect solution for us. Just a thought.