Yukon the Youthful One.

Yukon came into my life

with energy and exuberance of youth.

He is full of life.

He brings me to a place of moving forward.

When I need him to ground me,

it is as if he knows.

He lies at my feet or next to me,

and I know I am connected

to the here and now.

He is loving and accepted by Amy

who is my history.

He is guided by her example

to watch over my future.

I am grateful to him for his presence

and the comfort he gives me.

With Amy or Yukon in my life,

I am never alone.

-NSD Graduate Andrew B, 11 November 2009

National Service Dogs’ mission is to enhance the independence of children living with autism. When 12 year old Dawson got his National Service Dog, Roscoe, in 2006, his mom hoped the dog would help her non-verbal son to “walk tall” and “be proud”. The level of independence and self confidence that Roscoe gave Dawson exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Before receiving Roscoe, Dawson spent his school day with his teaching assistant always right beside him guiding him through his day and through the halls. No one thought he was capable of moving around the school independently and safely. With Roscoe by his side Dawson was just like every other kid heading off to class, the library or the gym. Roscoe gave everyone the confidence they needed to LET Dawson be more independent.

The result has been a profoundly changed child and family. Roscoe became the focal point of Dawson’s education, facilitating reading and comprehension, giving his teachers a window into his thoughts. Socially, Roscoe opened up a whole new world for Dawson. The 2 of them joined the track and field team and participated in every event at the year end meet. Roscoe competed by his side in everything from the 3km cross country run, to the long jump and 400 metre dash. The parents watching the track event that day got to witness first hand the magical bond between a boy and his dog. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

Gillian was not yet two years old when she was diagnosed with autism. Her parents were very concerned for her future. Her meltdowns, lack of communication and awareness of her surroundings limited her interactions with other people and threatened her personal safety. National Service Dog, “Haley”, provided Gillian with hope and help in more ways than her family thought possible.

One time at the cottage Gilly was practicing putting her face in the water, a skill she was working on in swim class, and as soon as she assumed the face down/float position Haley immediately bolted into the water, grabbed her lifejacket by the back collar and dragged her closer to shore. Gillian hadn’t been in any real danger, but Haley was on duty and vigilant!

According to her mom, “it was incredibly reassuring to know that we had that extra set of eyes and ears watching over Gilly, helping to keep her safe.”

Haley has proven to be a remarkably gentle companion to Gillian, whether it’s playing a game of tag in the backyard or just being used as a foot rest underneath the dinner table. Haley has enhanced Gillian’s life in so many ways…

..”we are truly fortunate that National Service Dogs trained our daughter such a perfect friend and protector.” Rachelle and Ian, Gillian’s parents

My son Eric was only two years old and I was afraid his future looked bleak.

While other children his age were excitedly exploring their surroundings and making new friends, Eric's tantrums were escalating and he became more introverted and withdrawn. Limited communication skills made connecting with others almost impossible for him.

Eric has autism. His world is a collection of confusing noises and sensory input. It impacted our whole family. We didn't go out much since home was a safe haven from a chaotic world that Eric was unprepared to handle, but hope found us in an unexpected manner. Bounding into our lives came Quinn, a big beautiful yellow lab-all wagging tail with no verbal demand for Eric.

Trained and provided by National Service Dog, Quinn had an immediate impact. Many people had simply stopped trying to reach out to Eric- frustrated by a lack of progress, but Quinn never gave up and forged a relationship with my son. Eric's growing awareness of Quinn has translated into better awareness of the world outside. Now when Eric is overwhelmed by the noise or stress of a situation, Quinn is a calm and quiet companion that Eric can focus on. As a family, we can begin to explore the world together since Quinn is a constant help to Eric in times of transition. The bond between my son and his dog may be the first significant reciprocal relationship he will enjoy. And I hope it will pave the way to other opportunities that we can't yet foresee. Our day-to-day quality of life has improved dramatically and although Eric's future is still uncertain - it's brighter thanks to National Service Dogs.

Eric's Mom

Attached is a photo of Tommy and Matrix at Disney on Ice taken when it was here in Ottawa on March 9th. We got Tommy's photo taken after the show, and the photographer was so interested in Tommy and Matrix that he took two photos and asked me if we would allow him to use them as his model on his display. I said yes of course.

Yesterday I got an email from Stephanie and Oscar's mom Teresa, saying that they saw the photo at the Disney on Ice photographer’s booth when the show came to Hamilton. I'm glad to hear they used the photo :)

Disney on Ice was great- Tommy and Matrix sat in the front row at the show. This was Matrix's second year sitting in the front row with Tommy. She handled it very well although she did look at some of the jungle characters rather suspiciously. But really she was much more interested in staring at Tommy's popcorn, which tended to fall out of a small crack in the bottom of the box from time to time just to taunt her.

Tommy has a live journal, if you'd like to follow Tommy's Adventures please click here.

Matrix and Tommy are doing great!

Hope all is well at NSD,
MaryAnn