I wanted to share with you all another victory Emmett has experienced since getting his puppy, Bella. Bella is a Boxer puppy and Emmett’s new best friend. Our hope was that she would help to bring Emmett out of himself a little bit and we could continue to make some forward progress. I wanted to empower Emmett with a sense of independence, as well as responsibility. So far, Bella has not only made a great addition to the Lost and Tired family, but she has helped Emmett to do things that he has never been willing to do before.

He will now walk in the mud to go bring Bella back into the house after she goes potty. He as some significant sensory issues that have always interfered with him getting dirty. He normally will not tolerate his shoes getting muddy or wet. However, if Bella is involved, he is willing to do whatever it takes to care for her.

In the short video below, you will see Emmett, patiently trying to groom Bella. I only got the tail end of the process on film but you’ll get the point. He feels a sense of responsibility for her and wants to interdependently care for her as much as possible. She provides comfort for him when he is upset and consoles him when he’s in a fever flair and in lots of pain.

Animals and Autism can be a truly amazing combination. Please feel free to share your experiences with Animals and your Autistic child or child with special needs. 🙂

[youtube width=”720″ height=”480″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CuKMJG4i7A[/youtube]

[youtube width=”720″ height=”480″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV4q5jHX6Eo[/youtube]