Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Meet Simon

I know, I know .. I have been a bad blogger lately but I have a good reason. Meet Simon ...

He is a three year old boxer and he is making me crazy!

We decided a couple of months ago to look for a dog for Dude. We had done a lot of research and talked to a lot of people who said that kids on The Spectrum really benefit from have a pet pal. Apparently, having a good doggy friend reduces anxiety levels, helps with socialization and brings a level of comfort that people with ASD have a hard time finding with people. It is also said to help decrease depression during adolescence. Knowing all this we started hunting for a dog and last weekend we found one.

A very generous and animal loving couple heard about Dude and wanted to help so the gifted Simon to us. He is a purebred boxer with an amazing personality. He was obviously well trained as a puppy but has recently been neglected. The couple who rescued him and gave him to us assured us that although he had been through a lot lately, he still had a great personality. So we took him home for a one week trial period.

Two days into the week we were sure we had made a mistake. Although he was gentle and affectionate with the adults he was indifferent to Dude and Crafty and very suspicious of Mischief and he did not respond well to unfamiliar kids. This along with horrible gas, giant slobbers and the issue of him following Mr. Awesome everywhere and whining whenever Mr. Awesome was out of eyesight had us convinced that he was not the dog for us.

Just when a friend offered to take him off our hands, Simon began to relax. He started cuddling up with the kids, following them around the house and walking very well with them on the leash. We changed his dog food so the gas stopped and we discovered that he has no issue having his gobbers wiped after eating or going for a walk. He even ignored the barking neighbor dog and loud playing neighbor kids.

He is sweet, affectionate, obedient and really kind of goofy. Here's the part that's driving me crazy ... we were so sure that he wasn't right for us but now ... I'm not normally so indecisive and the not knowing is driving me nuts! He still needs some training but he's smart and really eager to please. Ugh! I don't know.

Anyway, meet Simon ...



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