We adopted our boxer fathers day before last at a no kill shelter here in town called The Animal
Defense League. She was $65, THE BEST sixty five bucks Ive ever spent! I heard a case of a
child with autism who started talking by whispering in his dogs ear =) Elsie & Marcel have a
wonderful relationship. She realized right away that he was different. She's very protective over
our family but especially him. Well she had been a mama, she had 12 puppies at the animal defense
league. They liked her there so much they got teary eyed when we adopted her. I spoil her rotten.
She sleeps on the couch & on the bed. She gets goodies & lotsa kisses. Im so glad you got a dog.
Its amazing how helpful they can be for these children =)

That is funny about her name. If Michael had been a girl he would have been named Jersey, and a girl I went to school with and used to live under me in this building named her daughter Jersey.

I think animals are such a good thing for our children. Especially those who are good with kids. The big floppy dogs. Michael and I had to stay in Minnesota for a bit because some bad things happened here. I was supposed to stay. But David's room-mates had 3 dogs inside. Two were puppies, and then one full grown. Michael was in heaven with it. The older one let him crawl all over him and pull on his ears and tails. The whole time he sat there looking like he was in heaven because Michael loved him. Of course he was rewarded for his good behavior. David's room-mate/best friend Derek and I caught Michael feeding the dog animal crackers. One after another straight from the huge bag we had left out for him since he did not really eat meals. My son was 11 months I think. Ever since then all I wanted was a great big dog. I actually love Dobermans, if you get them as a barely weaned puppy and raising them with a kid, they are wonderful. Unless the dog is abused or roughed up in play by an adult, they can be the biggest pansies.

This is also teaching your son responsibility, and it sounds like as long as he has fun doing it, then you have a wonderful bond between boy and his dog. And I think animals form special bonds with ASD kids. Every animal Michael has been around (even the cats he tormented by dropping them in puddles) put up with him and never snapped at him.