Five Months of Firsts

The past 5 months with our new family member have been both very challenging and very rewarding. Along the way to becoming a very loving and loyal friend for Grace, Dante has experienced some very important 'firsts'.


Dante's first bath: A picture says a thousand words!

Dante's first visit to the vet: Dr Geoff from Bent St Veterinary Surgery Gympie has very generously sponsored Dante by providing all of his veterinary needs. Dante was very brave having his vaccinations and is always excited to visit the surgery, even when he went in for desexing!

Meeting Dr Geoff

Dante's first training session: On 13th December 2013, 16-week-old Dante, Grace and I met with Kate Butterworth from Animal Education for our first training session. Basic commands- sit, down, heel, walking up and down stairs, and getting in and out of the car were the focus. Dante did very well. He is a very clever boy.

First training session - 13 Dec 2013

Since then we've had another 2 training sessions with Kate. Dante has learnt  to heel nicely and will now 'go to Grace' and 'go with Grace'. He has beautiful mealtime manners, sitting and waiting patiently for his food, and always goes to the toilet outside.

Session 2 - Walking with Grace

At his last session, Dante started learning to never walk in front of a vehicle, a very important lesson for an Assistance Dog who will be responsible for a young girl who often is too distracted or emotional to be aware of danger. One more lesson at Kate's and then we'll be off to the Centro carpark for some 'real-life' practice.

Dante's first Christmas: Dante didn't really know what all the excitement was about but he was very happy to join in. Grace had fun creating some funny photos with her new Christmas app.

Do you think I make a good Christmas elf?

Dante's first clip: Dante has a gorgeous poodle coat just like his mum. It's soft and curly and doesn't shed. But with our hot summer weather we thought it was a good time for Dante's first clip. In January we took him off to All Cuts Dog Grooming who gave us a special price for our very handsome boy's first haircut.

Looking cool and more like his poodle mum

Our lives have changed so much since Dante joined our family. Grace has a loyal, accepting friend who loves her unconditionally, gives cuddles and kisses on demand, and is happy just to sit by her side and be a comforting presence. What a special boy!

Helping Grace with her maths

The First Two Weeks

We survived the first two weeks with our beautiful new baby boy! Despite a few nights of broken sleep, dealing with a bout of puppy diarrhoea, lots of spilt drinking water, being covered in puppy bathwater, having a ripped nightie of Grace's to mend, and quite a few dog toys with the stuffing hanging out, Mum's still in one piece, and Dante has settled in very nicely to his new home and family.

First day home

He stays in his crate quietly through the night, without any toileting accidents, does his toileting outside when he's told to go, and will happily go into his crate for shorter periods through the day.

Dante's loves his 'den'

Cooling off in his new pool

Meeting family

He has been on several outings and met lots of new people. We've had family snuggles on the couch watching TV, and bedtime snuggles on Grace's bed while reading Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire.

Bedtime snuggles

Happy best friends

Mum's little Papillon, Bastian, is gradually becoming more tolerant of his adopted brother but still keeps his distance for much of the time. Grace is excited to get up in the morning to play with her new best friend, despite having received a few excited-puppy scratches and nips.

Dante's formal training starts this week with Kate Butterworth, then we will have lots of practice to work on at home until his next training session.

Let the journey begin...

In less than a week, we are welcoming a new family member into our home. Dante is an almost-8-week old Groodle pup, and he will have a very important role. He will be a very special friend and helper to 9-year-old Grace who has Asperger's Syndrome, an Autism Spectrum Disorder. From his first day home, he will begin his training as an Autism Assistance Dog.

Grace chose the name Dante from a book she read, Wonder Dogs: True stories of extraordinary canines by Ben Holt. Dante means 'steadfast and enduring', very appropriate for a dog that will become Grace's best friend, and the first real friend she'll ever have.

Children with autism find it very difficult to relate to people and make friends. Socially, they are very awkward. For them, a dog can be much easier to connect with, and it can be a very strong emotional connection. An Autism Assistance Dog can provide unconditional love and emotional support, build the child's self-confidence, and where an autistic child can often not bear human touch, a dog can provide much loved soft, furry cuddles. In addition, an assistance dog is a protective anchor to prevent the child from potential physical harm.

The waiting list with organisations who raise and train assistance dogs is far too long and, at almost 10 years of age, Grace has been waiting long enough. It was time to be proactive. Our journey with our new DIY assistance dog is about to begin and we are so very grateful for those who are getting behind us to help us on our way.