By Sherri Blevins
Children and pets seem to be a very natural combination providing hours of entertainment for both parties. As adults look back on their lives and reminisce about the past, love for and stories about a favorite pet often fill their memories. That journey is just beginning for one little boy named Sam and his new found friend, a dog named Stone. This journey will be shared by more than just the boy, however, it is a family, no really, a community journey. The Jackson family’s dream of providing a service dog for their sweet son, Sam was realized this past weekend. This is a dream that really came true due to the efforts of family members and the generous contributions of the surrounding community that provided the funds to purchase the new edition for the family. The dog was delivered by the group Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers. Stone is a very special dog because he has been trained to care for a child with autism. Sam happens to be that child.
According to the Autism Speaks website service dogs can be valuable tools. Service dogs receive extensive training and official certification to help perform functions that present a challenge for a person with a disability. The Americans with Disabilities Act mandates that people can bring their service dogs in all public areas – including restaurants and stores. Service dogs typically wear a “cape,” or harness, that identifies them and lets bystanders know they are working and should not be disturbed.
Each service dog is trained according to the needs of the person it will assist. For instance, it may help someone with a mobility problem, visual or hearing impairment, epilepsy (alerting to seizures), diabetes (alerting to high or low blood sugar), an anxiety disorder or a developmental disorder such as autism.
An autism service dog, for example, can accompany a child to decrease anxiety during medical or dental visits, school activities, shopping and travel. Some autism service dogs are trained to recognize and gently interrupt self-harming behaviors or help de-escalate an emotional meltdown. For instance, it might respond to signs of anxiety or agitation with a calming action such as leaning against the child (or adult) or gently laying across his or her lap.
Mountain Valley News talked with Sam’s mother, Alison Jackson, about the new family addition and she had this to say, “ Our family is beyond happy to welcome Stone into our family. He has already proven to be a valuable member of this family. While he has only been with us for three nights, Sam has been able to sleep in his bed all night long with Stone at his side for all three nights. This has been a major struggle for him over the past year and a half, and I honestly cannot remember the last time Sam was able to sleep one full night in his bed much less three consecutive nights. Stone is also already helping to provide Sam with deep pressure when he needs it, and this reduces his meltdown times tremendously. Stone has been helping Sam have more independence when out in public as well. Sam is now walking in the grocery store, while holding onto Stone’s vest, instead of riding in a shopping cart. Typically when I ask Sam who his best friend is, he replies with “you momma”. Now when I ask him who his best friend is, he replies,”Stone”. That is one downgrade I will happily take. Our family would not have been able to make getting Stone possible without the support of our community. We had a lot of angels that stepped in to help out in big ways. We want to say thank you to each and every person who has helped us in this process along the way. Whether it was whispering a prayer for us, donating money, or just helping to get the word out. None of this would have happened without you, so thank you! Being a part of this community and being surrounded by all of this love and support is a blessing to us. This is just the very beginning of Stone and Sam’s journey, and I for one cannot wait to see what comes next.”