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.