Pets and Learning Disabilities

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by Merely Me
Thursday, February 11, 2010

I thought it might be fun to talk about our pets.  Here are two of our beloved family pets in the photo.  Although we have always had cats, a family dog was a new adventure for us.  Our son Max has always had a fear of dogs since he was a toddler.  So it was with some trepidation when we decided to get a family dog.  We made the decision to get a dog because I had hope that Max could learn to not only tolerate having such a pet in the family but I also hoped that a good dog might help him to overcome some of his challenges.  I can tell you that my hopes have come true.

Max has always been nervous around most dogs but especially little yappy dogs.  I think his fear was based on the unpredictable nature of some dogs.  Will they jump on you?  Will they bark?  Will they bite?  Max is most comfortable in structured settings where he knows what to predict.  Max's experience with meeting dogs in the neighborhood was that he never knew what to expect.  Exposure to a small Chihuahua could send Max jumping into my arms.  It took some time before he could even walk past the house with the guard Chihuahua who would charge at us from the constraints of his leash.  I had little hope of ever bringing home a dog to our house until we met Sam.

Sam was a Labrador Retriever owned by a volunteer we had to work with Max.  Sam belonged to Michael who happened to be blind.  Sam was a guide dog.  And he was probably the best mannered dog Max and I had ever met.  He was one of the first dogs that Max was not only able to tolerate but also one that Max showed a bit of affection towards.  It was a sign to me that perhaps my wish to have a family dog was not out of the question.

When I broached the subject of getting a dog, Max would always utter a definitive "No!" But as we talked more about dogs and how they could be a good friend, Max gradually changed his mind.   We would read books about dogs, watch shows about dogs and even sing songs about dogs.  And so the day came when we went to choose a dog to bring home.  We visited the local animal shelter to make our selection.  We had always brought home pets from the local shelters as we knew that they would be put to sleep otherwise.  We did research the types of dogs best suited for children and while some literature talked about pure breeds such as Pugs, Beagles, Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers as being good with children, we also read that a good basic mutt might also be a good choice.  

It was my eldest son who spotted the dog that we would eventually bring home.  Her name was Daisy and she was a larger medium sized dog who had given birth to puppies recently.  Daisy was shy, quiet, and very good natured.  She looked at us through the bars with big sad eyes.  When Max was asked if this was the dog to bring home he uttered an emphatic, "Yes!"  

When it was time for Daisy to come home with us, after being spayed, we had to fill out the necessary paperwork.  Max sat in a chair holding on to Daisy's leash.  I have never seen a dog so grateful as she literally embraced Max with her paws around his neck as he sat in a chair.  Max tolerated this affection and I thought that this was an excellent sign that we had chosen the right dog.