This Boy with Autism and His Service Dog are Best Friends
Service dogs have a wide variety of uses in today’s world. For example, they are available as helpers for the blind, the deaf, seizure alert, and mobility assistance. With Autism awareness rising, dogs that are trained to help are also becoming more widely available.
Lego is trained as an Autism Support Dog and his boy Tupper enjoys life much more fully since acquiring him. Since getting Lego, the family has slept better and overall functions better. They are also able to go on small trips that we might take for granted as simple as the mall.
Before acquiring a service dog, Tupper didn’t sleep very much at all. He would wake up from nightmares every 20-40 minutes and only totaled about 3 full hours a night. Lego sleeps with Tupper every night, providing pressure and comfort that keeps the nightmares away.
Not all nightmares happen when Tupper is sleeping. When Tupper is having a breakdown and banging his head on the wall, Lego is there to save the day. Usually, all Lego needs to do is nudge Tupper to break the self-destructive pattern. There are also times when Tupper may run straight for a busy road and Lego is learning how to restrain him until his parents can come and scoop him up.
When the family first realized that a service dog might really help Tupper, a friend had brought her dog over. Tupper immediately opened up and engaged with the dog, even looking their friend in the eye and saying “hi.”
Nowadays they are basically joined at the hip. Lego constantly has his eye on Tupper and is ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. Through all the time they’ve spent together, Tupper and Lego have formed an incredible bond. If you want to continue to follow their story, you can keep up with them on their Facebook page.
