# Autism Serivce dogs



## AutismDogGirl

Hello I am a 24 year old female with high functioning autism. My German Shepherd Nimrodel is my autism service dog. She is eight years old and will be retiring in two years and in 32 weeks an 4 days we will have a new puppy coming and he will start his training to be my next service dog. We have named him Pippin. I wanted to tell you all a bit about autism service dogs 

********************AUTISM SERVICES DOGS MUST BE TRAINED TASKS TO HELP MITIGATE THE DISABILITY OTHERWISE IT IS NOT A SERVICE DOG BUT AN EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL********************************************

Autism service dogs are dogs that are specially trained to help individuals living on the autism spectrum. Individuals may be severely to mildly impaired by autism but no matter where they fall on the spectrum these dogs are trained to help them and provide them with better quality of life.

Autism service dogs are a lot like a cross between a seeing eye and hearing dogs. they have tasks similar to them

Autism service dogs have been proven to have many benefits for those living with autism. They been shown and proven to help calm the individual that they are paired with and decrease the amount of meltdowns. When an individual has a meltdown the dog will help them through it. They also help provide a sense of security as well as increased safety Increase in safety allows the individual to have more independence.
In many cases individuals have become more social after receiving and working with their dogs, it is also still unknown as to why and how these dogs help improve and individuals ability to concentrate but this has been shown to be a benefit as well.

Some Autism Service dog tasks

Symptom/ challenge Task trained

Impulsive running: Dog retrieves individual

PICA: Interrupts behavior

Self harming behavior: Will interrupt behavior

Night Awakenings: Alert parents by barking or climb into bed with individual

Non-verbal: offer behavior when person tries to command

Social Isolation: Focus shifts to dog.

Fire alarms: Dog alerts the individual and gets them out

meltdowns: Dog climbs in lap to calm individual

Streets: Dog will stop individual from walking right out

Sneaking out: Alerts parents by barking

Nightmares: Dog will crawl into bed to calm individual

Wandering/getting lost: Track and find individual/ offer protection

dropped item/ forgetfulness: refuses to move till the item is picked up or will retrieve the item

Separated from caregiver /friend or family in stores or crowds: seeks out family/friend or care giver.

Over whelmed or over stimulate: dog will lead individual to exit or a quiet area

Other tasks may also be trained as well especial if there are multiple conditions. i.e. Seizure alert.

Autism service dogs are a medical expense


I know Nimrodel has changed my life. Are there any other autism service dog teams out there?


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## cassadee7

This is wonderful! I have a friend with an autistic child who is 7 years old. She has mentioned hearing about service dogs and wanting to have one for her child. We live in WA state. Can you direct me to an appropriate resource for her to find a service dog? It would help her soooo much. He runs away, self harms sometimes, has meltdowns and tries to climb/jump off things and I would love to see this mom and child get info on a dog who could assist them.


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## NancyJ

There is a group in Greenville SC that trains and places Autism service dogs.

We actually have a fellow (trainer in that group) with one of the rejects (too much drive) getting involved with our SAR team. I believe Julia Priest helped them set up their breeding program.

They only place locally - takes awhile to train and demand higher than availability.


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## ILGHAUS

It is very hard to find any group or organization that will train an autism service dog for an adult. Most only train for children. The few that are out there and are reputable have people who have looked for years.

Please do your research on any trainer or organization. Just doing a google search and finding a source based on how they read on the Internet or from a fancy website may not lead to satisfactory results.

Go over your application and fees and any future contracts very carefully. Have a list of questions prepared before you even start questioning a potential trainer.


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## AutismDogGirl

cassadee7 said:


> This is wonderful! I have a friend with an autistic child who is 7 years old. She has mentioned hearing about service dogs and wanting to have one for her child. We live in WA state. Can you direct me to an appropriate resource for her to find a service dog? It would help her soooo much. He runs away, self harms sometimes, has meltdowns and tries to climb/jump off things and I would love to see this mom and child get info on a dog who could assist them.



One of my favoret organizations is 
Autism Service Dogs

but the basic criterea you want in finding an autism service dog organization is

trains for all ages

trains tasks (they MUST train task) make sure they train actual tasks! Also remeber autism service dogs are a tax deduction because they are a medical expence) 

DON"T pay over 10,000!


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## AutismDogGirl

ILGHAUS said:


> It is very hard to find any group or organization that will train an autism service dog for an adult. Most only train for children. The few that are out there and are reputable have people who have looked for years.
> 
> Please do your research on any trainer or organization. Just doing a google search and finding a source based on how they read on the Internet or from a fancy website may not lead to satisfactory results.
> 
> Go over your application and fees and any future contracts very carefully. Have a list of questions prepared before you even start questioning a potential trainer.


EXCELLENT and THANK YOU! I suggested wilder wood because I was going to apply to them myself if I wasn't going to be able to get a puppy to train to be my service dog and I am paling on going to them to help withthe training. Wilderwood does train them for adults. I am working hard to bring reform to this as so many places don't tain them for dults and it doesn't make sence


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## idahospud49

This is great! My younger brother has aspergers, well actually all of my siblings on one side are on the spectrum, but his is the most severe. While he does not have a trained dog, he has his Sammy dog. Sammy is a little bichon frise who Tim will drag around. I have never seen such a sweet dog put up with so much. Timmy can put him in a crate in the middle of the yard and tell him to stay, and he will not move until Timmy lets him out or someone comes along and tells him to get out. He was never formerly trained.
I would love to find out more about this. The school I work at, which is run and operated by my dad and step-mom has an extremely high amount of kids on the spectrum. I am going to have to look more into this. I am personally going into equine therapy, and would love to add in some service dogs too.


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## cassadee7

Great, I will pass this information along! Would love to see a trained dog at work with this child in my neighborhood.


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## Lin

I'm a service dog user, and have Aspergers but my dog is a mobility assistance dog.


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## DTS

just thought i would share. this was in my local newspaper today:

First guide dog in local schools aids autistic boy at Marion Oaks Elementary | Ocala.com


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## NancyJ

Since we seem to get called on searches for autistic kids, I am excited that one of the things the local group trains is notification of the family if the child leaves and taking them to him. 

Not something you recommend for the average family with the average pet because too many familes waste time looking for their loved ones instead of calling 911 but the earlier you can stop them the shorter distance they have travelled.

It truly takes a working dog to do this because they are *on* 24/7.


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## ILGHAUS

I'm having trouble reading the article about the boy in Marion Oaks. Doesn't want to load more than the first couple of paragraphs for some reason.

Is the child blind? I see the title and article mentioning guide dog. I'm sure this is incorrect because I know of no agency that gives a guide dog to such a young child.

I am also interested in knowing and hope that I can get it to load properly later but who is going to be the 3rd part of the team. Parent, teacher assistant, does it say? 

Everytime I hear and have the chance to ask, my question is never answered. Who is paying the 3rd person if it is not the parent being part of the team? The school system or the parents? Who is responsible for taking the dog out to potty or making sure it is watered? I know with a bunch of 4 or 5 year old children it can not be the teacher who has to concentrate on the *class*.


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## elly1210

First guide dog in local schools aids autistic boy at Marion Oaks Elementary | Ocala.com

see if that works

They do say guide dog
the dog is only going to school part time
the dog does help him with stability also
he can see but I don't know how well because he did have a fear of shiny floorw because of the depth perception

Highland Canine Training, LLC is the facility they went through

The non-profit Austism 4 Parents offers grants to purchase a guide dog through Bruster's Buddies 4 Autism; they said they started it in July


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## AutismDogGirl

ILGHAUS said:


> I'm having trouble reading the article about the boy in Marion Oaks. Doesn't want to load more than the first couple of paragraphs for some reason.
> 
> Is the child blind? I see the title and article mentioning guide dog. I'm sure this is incorrect because I know of no agency that gives a guide dog to such a young child.
> 
> I am also interested in knowing and hope that I can get it to load properly later but who is going to be the 3rd part of the team. Parent, teacher assistant, does it say?
> 
> Everytime I hear and have the chance to ask, my question is never answered. Who is paying the 3rd person if it is not the parent being part of the team? The school system or the parents? Who is responsible for taking the dog out to potty or making sure it is watered? I know with a bunch of 4 or 5 year old children it can not be the teacher who has to concentrate on the *class*.



usually the parents or if high functioning and old enough the child takes the dog to potty The monitr for the child and the dog during chool tends to varty from school to school some chools pay for it but normally it is the parent. I hope that answered the questions


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## ILGHAUS

~~ (Post removed.) ~~ _As my post was leaning more away from the OPs topic of dogs for adults I decided to relocated it and start a new thread._


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## beaderdog

My 16-yr-old son, who has high-functioning autism, has a Siberian husky service dog named Boomer. We trained him ourselves under the supervision of a friend who trains guide dogs. Boomer has made a world of difference for my son. I love the name you chose for your puppy - one of my beagles is named Pippin.


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## webzpinner

My 4 year old was diagnosed 2 years ago with High Functioning Autism. We've heard a little bit about service dogs, and are EXTREMELY interested in the concept, especially since he has formed such a bond with Jake (our 3yr old GSD). Unfortunately, no one in the Sacramento seems to train autism service dogs, and it doesn't seem anyone trains a currently owned dog. We'd love for Jake to be more helpful for our son. 

I'm glad to hear a 1st person account of how beneficial a service dog is.


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## Lin

You can go about training a SD yourself. Which would most likely be your only option having another dog in the house.. Organizations won't place a SD in a home with another dog. 

Jake already being 3 years old may not be the best option to be a SD. It will take approximately 2 years to complete training. Also theres the issue of young children having SDs that ILGHAUS brought up in another thread. But you could still do training with Jake to help your son around the home or where pets are allowed, and have a better understanding of what it takes to train a SD when your son is a little older. 

First off, if Jake hasn't had hip and elbow xrays I'd do that. Even just helping around the home you need to know if he's physically fit. I would enroll in obedience classes. There is a LOT of obedience required to be a service dog, and most needs to be completed before you even begin to think about things such as public access work. 

You may need to look further outside your area for trainers experienced with service dogs. For teaching complex service tasks I've found the best method is clicker training and shaping the behaviors. If you can find an organization that trains autism dogs, they may allow you to come and observe or participate in their training. Here in Indianapolis I was welcomed into the training of the service dogs by the Indiana Canine Assistant Network.


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## AutismDogGirl

ILGHAUS said:


> ~~ (Post removed.) ~~ _As my post was leaning more away from the OPs topic of dogs for adults I decided to relocated it and start a new thread._


Oh this is about autism dogs for all ages I sake if they trained dogs for adults because finding organizations that do is nearly impossible and so many places put a cut off age around 14 to 16 years old and if you are older then that you don't qualify because you are no longer a child. It is really sad


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## Dogaroo

Kaija keeps me from going upstairs, downstairs or outside when I sleepwalk. She managed to train herself-- a good thing, because there's no way I would have been able to train her for that. I live alone. I don't know how many times she has kept me safe, but a couple times I woke up on the couch with my car keys in my hand, and more than once I vaguely remembered waking up briefly while being nudged back to bed.

There's something to be said for highly intelligent, devoted dogs who can recognize when something doesn't seem right & appropriately handle the situation if their human is unavailable or unable to tell them what to do. 

I'm hoping Kaija will teach Gunner how to keep me safe when I sleepwalk. She's already taught him to lean up against me to provide deep pressure & a calming influence when I'm going into sensory overload. The dogs also help me stay on task and "check in" with me regularly, interrupting any "hyper-focusing" I might be doing, allowing me to move on to something else in a timely fashion. My self-care was pretty much non-existent before my canine helpers arrived-- and I was chronically late for work. 

I would love to have Gunner trained to keep me safer in public. When I go into sensory overload, I sometimes have trouble getting myself to a place where I can decompress. I also become less aware of my surroundings & potential dangers such as traffic, unsavory people approaching, attractive-but-tipsy store displays.... (Ironically, I always manage to stay focused & safe in public when I'm on the job & have a vulnerable, severely disabled client with me-- maybe because I HAVE to. I just decompress privately afterward & collapse with exhaustion when I get home from work.) 

I've noticed that being in public with the dogs isn't as exhausting as being in public by myself. It would be nice to be able to run routine errands & be social & do fun things away from home & NOT be totally wiped out for days afterward.

In addition, Gunner is learning to pick things up for me when I drop them. (I also have fibromyalgia & don't always bend well.) He's also "migraine aware" & while it's still too early to tell if he can predict them, I think he might have tried to let me know before the last one hit. Kaija knows when I have a migraine, but she's never been able to predict them. Gunnar (my Lab/Spare Parts mix) usually alerted me about 20 minutes before my first symptoms appeared. His accuracy was 100% (even with people he didn't know) & if I took meds as soon as he alerted me, I could reduce the intensity of the migraine or avoid it completely.

There are so many services available for autistic kids, but next to none for autistic adults. There's so much awareness for children with autism, and that's a really good thing, but you hardly _ever_ hear about _adults_ with autism. Believe it or not, folks, *autistic kids eventually DO grow up, and they DON'T stop needing services once they reach adulthood!*


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## Dogaroo

Wow.... Long post. Sorry!

Any chance I could have Asperger Syndrome?


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## Lin

Dogaroo said:


> Wow.... Long post. Sorry!
> 
> Any chance I could have Asperger Syndrome?


Could be!!! Sensory issues are a big sign. 

Or are you being sarcastic? If so, my taking you literally is my AS! haha. I'm thrown off by the smilies, I can't tell if you're joking by asking if you might have AS, or joking because I should already know you do or something.


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## AutismDogGirl

Dogaroo said:


> Wow.... Long post. Sorry!
> 
> Any chance I could have Asperger Syndrome?





Dogaroo said:


> Kaija keeps me from going upstairs, downstairs or outside when I sleepwalk. She managed to train herself-- a good thing, because there's no way I would have been able to train her for that. I live alone. I don't know how many times she has kept me safe, but a couple times I woke up on the couch with my car keys in my hand, and more than once I vaguely remembered waking up briefly while being nudged back to bed.
> 
> There's something to be said for highly intelligent, devoted dogs who can recognize when something doesn't seem right & appropriately handle the situation if their human is unavailable or unable to tell them what to do.
> 
> I'm hoping Kaija will teach Gunner how to keep me safe when I sleepwalk. She's already taught him to lean up against me to provide deep pressure & a calming influence when I'm going into sensory overload. The dogs also help me stay on task and "check in" with me regularly, interrupting any "hyper-focusing" I might be doing, allowing me to move on to something else in a timely fashion. My self-care was pretty much non-existent before my canine helpers arrived-- and I was chronically late for work.
> 
> I would love to have Gunner trained to keep me safer in public. When I go into sensory overload, I sometimes have trouble getting myself to a place where I can decompress. I also become less aware of my surroundings & potential dangers such as traffic, unsavory people approaching, attractive-but-tipsy store displays.... (Ironically, I always manage to stay focused & safe in public when I'm on the job & have a vulnerable, severely disabled client with me-- maybe because I HAVE to. I just decompress privately afterward & collapse with exhaustion when I get home from work.)
> 
> I've noticed that being in public with the dogs isn't as exhausting as being in public by myself. It would be nice to be able to run routine errands & be social & do fun things away from home & NOT be totally wiped out for days afterward.
> 
> In addition, Gunner is learning to pick things up for me when I drop them. (I also have fibromyalgia & don't always bend well.) He's also "migraine aware" & while it's still too early to tell if he can predict them, I think he might have tried to let me know before the last one hit. Kaija knows when I have a migraine, but she's never been able to predict them. Gunnar (my Lab/Spare Parts mix) usually alerted me about 20 minutes before my first symptoms appeared. His accuracy was 100% (even with people he didn't know) & if I took meds as soon as he alerted me, I could reduce the intensity of the migraine or avoid it completely.
> 
> There are so many services available for autistic kids, but next to none for autistic adults. There's so much awareness for children with autism, and that's a really good thing, but you hardly _ever_ hear about _adults_ with autism. Believe it or not, folks, *autistic kids eventually DO grow up, and they DON'T stop needing services once they reach adulthood!*


 
Sounds like it I suggest getting a nueropsych exam. but here are the criteria for a diagnosis of Aspergers syndrome


> [The following is from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM IV]​(I) Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
> 
> (A) marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction
> (B) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
> (C) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interest or achievements with other people, (e.g.. by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
> (D) lack of social or emotional reciprocity
> (II) Restricted repetitive & stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:
> 
> 
> (A) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
> (B) apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
> (C) stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g. hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
> (D) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects
> (III) The disturbance causes clinically significant impairments in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
> 
> (IV) There is no clinically significant general delay in language (E.G. single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years)
> 
> (V) There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self help skills, adaptive behavior (other than in social interaction) and curiosity about the environment in childhood.
> 
> (VI) Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia."


A very well written discription by Samantha Driscole



> Many people have asked how I know so much about high functioning autism when I have a severely autistic son. The reason I know so much is because when I was 14 my mother died and I was sent to live with my aunt Jess her husband and her kids Elizabeth who was 14 as well and Alyssa who was only 7 at the time. Alyssa has high functioning autism. Elizabeth and I would babysit her together when Aunt Jess and Uncle Luke went out shopping. I would also babysit another cousin of mine his name was Christan, he also had high functioning autism, and I babysat him until I was 19 when the family moved across the country.
> 
> Everyone knows that having a severely autistic child is extremely challenging and stressful. However many people take for granted what it is like to raise a child with high functioning autism. They often assume that because these children can talk and many do so quite well that it is just like raising any other child and that these children have no REAL impairment except for the fact they are a bit “Socially awkward.” Some may even assume the kids will “Grow out of it,” or even worse that the kid is really just a spoiled brat.
> *WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
> There are MANY challenges faced by high functioning autistics and their families. Some autistic individuals may learn better coping skills and social skills but they will NEVER grow out of it, nor will a “better parenting system,” change it unless the current parents are completely neglecting their kids. I know several families with high function autistic children as well some high functioning adults. This is for them to bring awareness to some of the challenges they face every day!


 
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1778234878#!/note.php?note_id=140753145970957


I hope this helps

I agree there are almost no services for adults with autism and evan LESS when you have high functioning autism!


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## Dogaroo

Lin said:


> Could be!!! Sensory issues are a big sign.
> 
> Or are you being sarcastic? If so, my taking you literally is my AS! haha. I'm thrown off by the smilies, I can't tell if you're joking by asking if you might have AS, or joking because I should already know you do or something.


Umm.... I guess I assumed everyone knows I'm autistic, even though I didn't exactly provide that information.  It's a Theory of Mind issue that's common with autism: I tend to forget that other people don't automatically know what I know. 

My official diagnosis is Asperger Syndrome, though technically I meet the criteria for classic (Kanner's) autism. I got the AS label because I can speak (though my speech is noticeably odd) and I'm not intellectually impaired. I also got the "package deal" that includes several of the most common comorbid disorders: AD/HD, OCD, hyperlexia, dyspraxia, Tourette's, synesthesia.... 

I'm always taking people too literally, then I totally confuse them by using sarcasm. They don't expect it from me & it catches them off guard. It probably doesn't help that I seldom remember to check in with my face to make sure the expression on it matches whatever it is I'm trying to say. (I guess that last bit probably irrelevant here, though.... I mean, it's probably a little hard for you to see my current facial expression from way over there where you're sitting, right?  )


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## Lin

Dogaroo said:


> I'm always taking people too literally, then I totally confuse them by using sarcasm. They don't expect it from me & it catches them off guard. It probably doesn't help that I seldom remember to check in with my face to make sure the expression on it matches whatever it is I'm trying to say.


I have the same problem. I have to apologize so often because of it..


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## Dogaroo

ASDogGeek: Thanks for the link. Some really good info there! 

I think it's pretty cool that there are others here who are on the spectrum, as well as several "high functioning neurotypicals"  who seem to have a pretty good understanding of autism & are fairly fluent in our "language."  It feels almost like being lost in a foreign country where you don't speak the language & suddenly finding a few people who can communicate with you in your native tongue. (The train station in Milan, Italy comes to mind.... Turned out I was at the wrong station, there was no train service between the two stations, and the Metro wasn't running for some reason. Brilliant. Walking was a dumb idea.... I'm Directionally Challenged.)


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## Lin

Dogaroo said:


> It feels almost like being lost in a foreign country where you don't speak the language & suddenly finding a few people who can communicate with you in your native tongue.


Thats how I always describe it. Its like everyone around me is speaking a foreign language and I just can't get them to understand what I'm trying to say. I was just diagnosed a couple years ago, and it was amazing to find people who just "got it." 

I have a "real life" friend with Aspergers. We actually met using the wifi in McDonalds. We were both there constantly, and one day we started talking about something, and he started talking about a book written by a guy with AS. I was able to recognize behaviors in him so I casually asked if he had a specific interest in AS. He said well actually he has it, and I laughed and said yea I thought so me too.


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## DanielleOttoMom

cassadee7 said:


> This is wonderful! I have a friend with an autistic child who is 7 years old. She has mentioned hearing about service dogs and wanting to have one for her child. We live in WA state. Can you direct me to an appropriate resource for her to find a service dog? It would help her soooo much. He runs away, self harms sometimes, has meltdowns and tries to climb/jump off things and I would love to see this mom and child get info on a dog who could assist them.


I would also like information too. My girlfriend at work has a 7 year old boy with autisum too. Same issues here.... I would love to get her this information.


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## TechieDog

I was not aware that autism service dogs existed. Thanks for enlightening us with this post.
My nephew is autistic but he can be violent and unfortunatley goes after dogs. Interestingly enough though he loves horses.


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## Xeph

Hey, Dogaroo! I have TS too ! It's a special sort of fun, ain't it?


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## Dogaroo

Xeph said:


> Hey, Dogaroo! I have TS too ! It's a special sort of fun, ain't it?


For sure! LOL!


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## Xeph

I actually started a blog about it. It's pretty cathartic xD


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## AutismDogGirl

it is aways exciting to meet other autism service dog! I am aalso excited to meet andother hite German Shepherd Service dog and handler!


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