We’re making these signs as a fundraiser for Paws 4 Autism and JJ.
You can find out more information about them here, E-Learning Signs, including size, shipping, and customization info.
As always, feel free to share, especially if you know someone who could use a little chuckle right now 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
Alta and JJ
Boy howdy it’s been a busy month!
First, don’t forget about our Ear Saver/Mask Holder fundraiser here, for JJ.
A lot has been going on, and some of it I already planned to share. But something cooler happened yesterday and I’m going to share that today, instead.
I’m sure you can guess that a service dog needs to have a good bond with the person who needs them. Bandit is an AMAZING dog and has had some pretty fantastic dog mommies. He hasn’t been around young kids much though. So naturally, he followed me around the first few weeks. Then we went out of town for a few days and he stayed with one of his dog mommies ❤
When we picked him up, he was pretty happy to see us which felt awesome, like we were maybe doing a good job as his foster family 🙂 He continued to follow me around, which wasn’t unexpected.
We’ve been working with JJ the last month on interacting with the dog. Although he pets the other dogs, he hasn’t really PLAYED with them and was unsure how that worked (see previous blogs for those posts) 🙂
Bandit has been odd about his food, too, often refusing to eat if he can’t see me. But this week…HE LET JJ FEED HIM! It was so good for that bond we’re trying to build. Bandit can’t be an autism service dog for me, since that’s not my diagnosis. To really be able to do his job, he HAS to focus on JJ (or Isaac). And this week, we may have turned that corner. He gets excited when he sees JJ. He’s starting to come to him when JJ calls, even if he doesn’t have a treat. He gets anxious when Isaac is upset and tries to get to him to help (remember, Isaac (4) is also autistic).
A few nights ago, I saw JJ and Bandit like this:
Usually, JJ’s laying on Bandit, but not this time. It was such a sweet moment!
Yesterday, after ABA therapy, we had music therapy. Bandit surprised me a little when he sat down by JJ. I was on the other side of him, which is typical, but his focus was totally on JJ.
And today, during ABA, Bandit kept an eye on both boys. Isaac was outside with his therapist and Bandit would trot to the door and watch. Then he’d trot into the living room and check on JJ. He kept making the rounds until Isaac was back in the house.
Here’s the boys during session today 🙂
This just makes my heart so happy.
Thanks for stopping by!
Have a safe holiday weekend ❤️
XOXOXO
Alta and JJ
As always, if you’d like to check out Paws 4 Autism, click here: Awesome people
If you’d like to read more about JJ’s story, or make a donation, you can find his page here: Help JJ
Photo courtesy of Becky Dodd
ajdurrant 