“What do you do when you can’t keep your child safe when you’re out and about anymore?
What do you do when your child sees no danger, they just run? And boy is he fast. I often say he would give Usain Bolt a run for his money. He just keeps going. Nothing is in his sights — not a car, a bus, or a person. He just runs.
When my little boy was diagnosed with autism at 2 years and 9 months, he was small. He was cute. I could pick him up when we were out and about. He was in a stroller and it was okay because he still looked like a baby. As he grew, the comments started.
‘Isn’t he too big to be in a stroller?’
‘Shouldn’t he be walking?’
I would answer that he was in there for his own safety. But because autism is a hidden disability, no one understood what I meant.
We moved to a special needs stroller, and while he would sit in it, he hated to be in there. He wanted to be free. He wanted to run. But I could not manage him out and about anymore. I couldn’t catch him when he ran because he was so fast. I couldn’t keep my little boy safe anymore. And that is a hard thing to admit. Because as a mom, you are meant to be their protector. You are meant to be able to look after them, to make sure they are safe.
I couldn’t do that.
And then we got the phone call. He had reached the top of the list for an autism service dog. A dog who would give him his independence, give him confidence, and give him his very own best friend. This dog would change his whole life. I couldn’t believe we got so lucky.
We did a puppy program — a one-of-a-kind program run by My Canine Companion, a charity here in Ireland — and I saw my little boy grow with his dog. I saw a bond form I could never have imagined. He wanted to interact with her. He wanted to play with her. My nonverbal little boy signed for the very first time… and the word was ‘dog.’ I saw life come into him I could never have imagined.
Throughout the whole program, Riley and his service dog, Willow, became inseparable. They were as thick as thieves. She was the first thing he went to in the morning and the last thing he kissed at night. She was his protector. She was his safety blanket. She was his best friend.
