The power of Dog

Here is an excerpt from a fundraising email I received from Service Dogs of Virginia.  They are the organization that took in my former foster, Buck, and placed him as a service dog for an autistic child.  Buck has a new name, Robin, and a job that mostly consists of just being himself--calm, cool, and collected. 

The picture is Robin, his new child, Nathan, and his mom, whom I met at the SDV graduation ceremony a couple weeks ago.  This is what the email had to say:

Nathan, who has autism, recently received Robin. Before getting Robin, Nathan would not even pick up a pencil and paper at school. In just the few weeks they have spent together, Nathan is completing his schoolwork!

Words cannot begin to convey the enabling magic and the comfort an autism service dog brings to these children. There is an understanding that happens – a bond that is formed – that is nothing short of miraculous.

Because of the unique therapy an autism service dog provides, the demand for an autism service dog is incredibly high. And two years is an eternity to wait for a child. We must do better.

 

 

I have several former foster shepherds who now do varying types of service work, also a golden retriever in Delaware, and probably several others I've forgotten about or don't know about.  The dogs require some specialized training, sure, but the service that the dogs provide really is just part of being a dog; they do what comes naturally, which is to be loving and devoted.  I'm in awe of the people who do this kind of work with their dogs.