Friends and Supports (with 4 feet)

Yesterday's New York Times Magazine has a quite long article about service animals: Not only are they showing up in more and more public places (from stores to airplanes), but more and more types of animals are being used (from miniature horses to parrots), and there's more and more efforts to regulate what sorts of animals can be service/therapy animals and where they can go.

There've been a number of news stories about dogs helping autistic children. A recently published book, A Friend Like Henry, by Nuala Gardner describes the profound effect a dog had on her autistic son, Dale. We, though, are not likely candidates for an animal of any sort. Charlie seems to be over a period of total fear of dogs: From the time that he was about 7 up until the past summer, if he saw any dog (and there are a lot of dogs and dog-walking owners in New York, where we often go on long jaunts), he'd turn to Jim and me and say "I need help" and pretty much want us to carry him. (And Charlie at 7 was already grown too big for me to carry.) When he was younger, he was on and off very interested in animals, especially dogs and squirrels (the latter because we at one point lived near a college campus that had lots of tall trees, and some very lively squirrels).

I used that photo of a Golden Retriever because Charlie's been particularly curious about them, even in the time when he was not feeling so inclined towards dogs. A relative had a lovely dog named Callie and, when we visited their house, Charlie's favorite place to be was in Callie's dog bed, a soft and round space. He remained fascinated by Callie for the next year (my parents even gave Charlie a stuffed dog who was promptly named "doggy Callie") and then the dog fear set in and we had to ask if Callie could stay in another room while we visited. Sadly, Callie ran away while her owners were on vacation so Charlie never got to be at ease with her again. When he does online puzzles, he often picks those with dogs (Goldens or black Labs).

Hearing about stories like that of the 8-year-old Wally LaBerge, whose family is suing the St. Paul School District for barring Newman, Wally's service dog, from being in class with him, I hope there's more efforts to explain why autistic individuals need their animals, and and need them in public places---need friends, especially four-footed ones.

Just after I posted this I came across this NPR story on animal scientist Temple Grandin, who's autistic, on her new book about the best life for animals.

Image from Glenards Goldens.