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ARGUS - THE MISSING PIECE - Ema Charbonneau (Olive's mom)
 August 24th, 2009 - Argus, a Golden Retriever/Labrador cross, became an addition to our family to aid our daughter Olive. Olive was diagnosed on the ASD spectrum September 2007 at 30 months of age. Since Olive's diagnoses we have struggled with regular things that a typical child would take for granted, for instance the ease of making friends, understanding the concept of school/extracurricular activities, having the ability to regulate oneself in chaotic environments (i.e. department stores, grocery store, etc.) and the ability to communicate with others. Since Argus' arrival Olive has been a much calmer child, she has a great bond with Argus that seems to be helping her create new friends in the new school year. Some mornings could be very stressful just arriving at school and Argus is able to guide her directly to the front door without any upset! Olive is very proud to be seen with Argus and understands how great an impact Argus' presence makes on her peers. Olive is 4 1/2 years old now and just completed her first grocery shopping trip walking beside me rather than needing the comfort of the seat in the shopping cart; this was a huge achievement for her. Argus has created a constant in Olive's every day life and the change in her ability to transition from one activity to another has improved dramatically.
We would like to thank the puppy raisers, Lies and Albert Steers for giving Argus such a great start. We would also like to thank the trainers for helping Argus reached his full potential. Thank you to Variety – The Children’s Charity for sponsoring Argus and of course, thank you to Autism Support Dogs for giving us the missing piece of Olive's puzzle! |
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