This is a great story about how one lovely, and very well trained dog, has changed the life of a little boy with autism. The dog has also made a huge difference in the life of his parents. It has given the whole family a little bit of freedom.
Here’s the story.
Taking a simple walk around the block,
used to be a challenge for Rowan Mcintyre and his family. That’s because Rowan has both autism and down syndrome. But now that he has his new service dog, Whitby, life is different.
Rowan’s mom Michelle says, “she gives him the independence he craves because he does not want to be treated like a two year old, he doesn’t want me holding his hand, hovering over him, going everywhere with him, he wants to do things just like any other 11 .5 year old.”
Whitby is a National Service Dog, specifically trained to help children with autism. The Mcintyre family got her last november.
“It has helped his self esteem, and just for him to feel responsible for this animal.”
And he is. He’s the one that feeds her, let’s her out, and grooms her. He also sleeps with her and reads to her, which helps with his speech.
“He talks to her nonstop, always talking to her every since she came.”
Whitby has also made it much easier for the family to take Rowan out and about.
“He’s a bit like a pinball when you go out – he’s everywhere, can’t focus on anything and very difficult to keep track of him, but with her, he’s focused on her.”
There’s no question Whitby has made a huge difference in Rowan’s life, but Rowan is one of the lucky ones. Right now there are 55 children in Canada waiting for an autism service dog – and the average wait time can be three years.
Which is exactly how long the Mcintyres waited. But she was worth it!
“With this dog next to him you see people smile, and they warm. It’s not, ‘what’s that, it’s different.’ They see a little boy with his dog.”
Autism expert Sue Robinson says these dogs can also help autistic children with social challenges.
“I know that dogs can really help kids make a connection with the dogs as well as with people so somehow it seems to bridge that social deficit for them and really help them out a lot.”
To the point where the Mcintyres can’t imagine life without Whitby.
“No, no absolutely not, she’s a huge part of our family and a huge help everywhere we go.”
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National Service Dogs is always looking for more donations so they can get dogs to more families, like the McIntyres. If you’d like to make a donation or for more information, see the website:
Hello,
What a truly amazing story. I am happy to say that I knew Whitby before she was given to Rowan and I am very proud of her. My boyfriends’ parents, Susan and Bob Inman, raised Whitby as a puppy until she was about 1 years old, when she was enrolled in advanced training. Susan and Bob became volunteers for National Service Dogs a few years back and Whitby was one of their most recent puppies to raise. I would just like to take a moment to thank all the NSD volunteers for their time and efforts put towards raising these dogs. As you can see, they have such an incredible impact on the children they are paired with, and I think you all deserve a little bit of recognition for all the hard work you put into raising these wonderful pups.
September 9th, 2009 at 4:27 pm