As many of you may be aware for the last year and a half our family has been waiting to receive an Autism Assistance Dog Guide for our son.  The prayers and support of this community have been such a blessing to our family.  One example of this blessing was having students pray for Will’s dog even before we received our call for training from Lion’s Dog Guides.  At the end of November my husband and I travelled to Oakville, Ontario for training and we brought back Will’s dog guide, Gibson.  Throughout the training process I was continually reminded of God’s faithfulness in my life and our family.

 During the training we worked with Gibson and were amazed at the possibilities for support and intervention in Will’s daily life.  An Autism Assistance Dog is picked especially for its calm, caring and consistent behaviour.  They are trained as a support so that a child with autism can go out without the family worrying about the child bolting into harmful situations; the child is actually tethered to the dog and when he runs into harm’s way the dog lays down to keep the child safe.  Gibson was taught how to give deep pressure to Will when he is feeling overwhelmed.  We were amazed to see this happen just two days after returning home.  Will had become overwhelmed and frustrated when we were out in public.  Will sat down in an isle very upset and Gibson came over and laid across him, giving him “hugs”; he licked his cheek and made Will laugh.  Already situations that were once full of anxiety are now becoming bearable with Gibson by his side!  Gibson will become his constant companion, a reason to be confident and to communicate more with others. These are just a few examples of how Gibson will help enrich Will’s life.  This opportunity and Gibson is an answer to many prayers.  As Gibson and Will continue to get to know one another and bond we are grateful to all who made it possible for Will to have this opportunity. 

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.   Sometime the Dog Guide will be crated in the class so that he get used to the environment.  Please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions that you may have about Dog Guides or Gibson.