| FREEDOM TO EXPERIENCE LIFE AND GROW
- Kristen Okimaw (Dylan’s mom)
Our son Dylan was diagnosed with Autism in 2006 when he was 2 years old. In addition to social and language delays, Dylan had safety concerns, as he was a "flight risk". As a result, Dylan’s freedom was severely limited. There were occasions when his preschool was going on an outing and if Dylan’s support worker was not there Dylan could not attend. When we went shopping, Dylan had to be belted in the cart with his little brother, Kyan and was not allowed to walk freely like his big sister, Madison. These limitations restricted Dylan’s ability to experience life and grow.
We were familiar with autism support dogs and the wonderful benefits these dogs bring to children with Autism. However, we were disappointed to discover that the waitlists for most programs were so long that we would likely never receive one. We were delighted to hear that BC Guide Dog Services was launching the Autism Support Dog program. We immediately called Bill Thornton at BC Guides Dog Services to see how we could apply.
Part of the application process involves the trainer, Jaime Arnup, coming to Kelowna to interview us. When Jaime arrived, she brought Logan with her and we instantly fell in love. A few months later we received a call from Jaime telling us the wonderful news that Dylan and Logan had been matched. It felt like winning the lottery!
I traveled to the lower mainland for training. The training was an incredible experience. Jaime and apprentice trainers, Ashley Clark and Carla Rankin were phenomenal and I cannot thank them enough for their patience and dedication. Logan was so well trained that to a large extent he was training me.
Although we have only had Logan for about 6 weeks we cannot imagine how we ever lived without him. Dylan, for the first time is "free" to walk in public places without safety concerns. Before Logan became part of our family, outings caused a lot of anxiety for Dylan as he was always contained. As a result there were often world-class meltdowns with people staring at us. Now Dylan is able to walk freely while attached with a strap connecting his belt to Logan. He is still loud but now he is skipping and singing rather than screaming. It is truly wonderful to see this confidence emerging in Dylan.
In the short time we have had Logan we have already noticed an improvement in Dylan’s social and behavior skills. Now he has an unconditional friend and looks forward to seeing Logan after his long therapy sessions. Dylan is proud to have the chore of feeding Logan on a daily basis. Having Dylan interested in something functional is an accomplishment in itself. Before Logan, Dylan could not blow out candles or blow a whistle but seeing Logan charge to the food bowl when he did, really motivated Dylan. Now when we say "grab the bucket" Dylan confidently tends to his chore and enthusiastically blows the whistle.
We have also noticed that people are much more accepting of Dylan with Logan. Before people would not really give Dylan much attention. Now people are interested in Dylan and even something as simple as a person asking Dylan, “What is your dog’s name” significantly enhances Dylan’s life experience and opportunity to grow.
We are so excited to see how the bond continues to develop between Logan and Dylan.
We can’t thank BC Guide Dog Services staff and volunteers enough for this tremendous program.
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