We love this story that appeared recently in an article in AKC.org.
Meet Porter the Newfoundland pictured below who has a very important job. LYING DOWN! Yes, that’s right, Porter is a new kind of service animal trained to deal with elopement or wandering- words autism experts use to refer to the tendency of autistic children who dart off on impulse. Sadly, many of these children drown, are hit by cars, or simply disappear. But now with the help of service dogs these situations can be mitigated and lives can be saved.
Photo Credit: Article from AKC written by Mara Bovsun
According to a story written by By: Mara Bovsun. . . . a mom Jennie and her daughter, Goose, 4, had just gotten out of the car in ashopping center parking lot in Durango, Colorado, when the child turned and bolted.
Jennie did not have time to react, but their Newfoundland, Porter, knew just the right move—he hit the ground, stopping Goose in her tracks.
Had he not been there, the girl would have run right into the path of an oncoming car.
“He saved her life,” Jennie said.
“I’d lost her so many times, I couldn’t go anywhere,” said Jennie, who was unable to continue in her work as an outdoors writer because of Goose’s condition. “I was becoming so isolated. I was scared to go to the grocery store.” Even opening the front door was nerve wracking. Goose is so fast she can be out the door and in the street in the blink of an eye.
Now, with Porter, Goose is less likely to even try to run. If she does, the dog keeps her in check.
“We have a whole new life because of Porter,” Jennie said.
If you are a parent of a child who suffers from Autistic Wandering and you live in a constant state of vigilance because it’s impossible to predict when your child might flee, you might want to consider a trained service dog to help anchor your child. Kimberly Brenowitz, Master Dog Trainer and owner of Animals Deserve Better |Paws for Life helps train service dogs. She can be reached at kimberlyadb@aol.com you can contact Paws for Life’s Kimberly Brenowitz to get help with training a service animal to assist.
