Doggie Day

If you have a dog, there are so many benefits for your child with special needs. The responsibilities of caring for a family pet can be shared and the skills needed to feed a dog or let him out into the backyard are accessible for lots of our kids. This day was dedicated to the dogs (I write as if every day in our house is not completely dog-focused).

Max was our oldest dog and he was very calm with our boys. Mikey could hug him and check his teeth and eyes and Max never moved a muscle. From the time Michael was tiny, he could pretty much get away with anything with Max. That said, Mikey was always gentle and kind to our dogs…if your kids are not, you need to intervene. Max’s tolerance level with Mikey was high and truly, Max loved all the attention.

Ruby came later and she was a love! If possible, more gentle than Max, Ruby was the ideal dog for our family.  Both our boys adored her and she soaked up all the love, giving back more than she got.

Ruby was our most easy-going dog and she took treats very gently – Like a baby goat at a petting zoo.  Michael learned to give dog treats to Ruby first. Now with Sonny, who is more like a baby alligator than a baby goat, Mikey tosses the treats across the room. Who says kids on the spectrum don’t pick up on personality differences?