MARLEY AND ME
Bonding...
BESSIE
Tuesday 24th May 2011
Dear Julie
As you know we have had our lovely Bessie for over a year now and it
feels like she has been part of our family always. There has been so
many amazing positive changes to Henry and indeed to our whole family
that I cannot imagine what life could have been like had we not seen
you on TV One Close Up and made the decision to get an assistance
dog. At that particular time of our lives times were difficult,
dealing with Henry's recent diagnosis and and the challenging
behaviours associated with this. As parents, Chris and I felt we
needed to do something radical to change all our lives for the better.
Obviously the $10,000 we needed to raise to get Bessie felt like an
enormous amount, and we hesitated for quite some time before making
the initial contact with you. However, after meeting you that day of
the assessment and seeing how gorgeous Bessie was we were hooked and
we could see the potential of how she could help us. Once we started
fundraising we were surprised and humbled by the positive response
from friends and family and the community who were only too willing
to support us and I guess from their point of view they felt it was
something they could do to help us in a constructive way.
Bessie has helped Henry in so many ways. The harness system works
incredibly well. I laugh when I think back to the first day of
training when you announced to me that I wasn't to hold Henry's hand
at the roadside, as that was now Bessie's job to look after him and I
needed to take charge of Bessie. I did think you were completely
mad, however it didn't take me very long to realise that this dog had
more control over him that I did. Also Henry quickly learnt that
being attached to Bessie provided him with more freedom than me
gripping his hand or indeed the pushchair where he would often have
to ride in. Gone are the days where we used to get tangled up and
Henry is now an expert at doing quick turns to walk on Bessie's left
or right so that he can inspect something of interest. Now at the
age of 5 Henry can still squeeze into the pushchair if going for
longer walks, but other than that he is able to walk with Bessie. I
have no idea how we were going to wean him off the pushchair if we
did not get our dog.
Something that I really did not expect is Henry's ability to
understand so quickly the commands we gave Bessie. When harnessed to
her, Henry follows the commands of "to the curb" and "wait" etc which
he never did when we used to say it directly to him! It was almost
like the pressure was off him as the command was given to him via
Bessie. He will now usually stop at the curb before the physical
restriction of the harness, however he still does get excited when he
sees buses and tries to reach out at them, but I am always 100%
confident that on the harness system he is safe. Hopefully one day
Henry may not need to wear his harness as he will hold onto the
second lead independently. If Henry is not attached to Bessie I
would find it almost impossible to go for a walk with him as he is
now a big strong boy and loses all sense of road safety when Bessie
is not attached. He still does a mad dash across the road without
looking and particularly loves running along the middle white line!
Although Henry is non-verbal occasionally the phrase "good girl" pops
out of his mouth when he approaches his dog.
Henry continues to enjoy the sensory experience that Bessie's coat
provides. She allows him to be grabbed around the back and head
particularly and we have all learnt to trust her that she will move
away if he is too rough. Recently I have noticed he is starting to
practice softer patting that he sees the rest of his family do. My
favourite though is when I see him sitting close to her face to face
looking at her and he then plants a kiss on her mouth! Henry also
laughs at games we all play with Bessie such as fetch and a couple of
times he has thrown her something to fetch. As you know this game
requires joint attention which is an important skill to develop in
children.
Thank you Julie for all your hard work you put into these dogs. Not
only do you have amazing skills in dog training but your ability to
identify the needs of the family and make the right match between
both is spot on. We are forever grateful for everything you have
done and look forward to seeing you at your next visit.
Kind Regards
Paula, Chris and family
As you know we have had our lovely Bessie for over a year now and it
feels like she has been part of our family always. There has been so
many amazing positive changes to Henry and indeed to our whole family
that I cannot imagine what life could have been like had we not seen
you on TV One Close Up and made the decision to get an assistance
dog. At that particular time of our lives times were difficult,
dealing with Henry's recent diagnosis and and the challenging
behaviours associated with this. As parents, Chris and I felt we
needed to do something radical to change all our lives for the better.
Obviously the $10,000 we needed to raise to get Bessie felt like an
enormous amount, and we hesitated for quite some time before making
the initial contact with you. However, after meeting you that day of
the assessment and seeing how gorgeous Bessie was we were hooked and
we could see the potential of how she could help us. Once we started
fundraising we were surprised and humbled by the positive response
from friends and family and the community who were only too willing
to support us and I guess from their point of view they felt it was
something they could do to help us in a constructive way.
Bessie has helped Henry in so many ways. The harness system works
incredibly well. I laugh when I think back to the first day of
training when you announced to me that I wasn't to hold Henry's hand
at the roadside, as that was now Bessie's job to look after him and I
needed to take charge of Bessie. I did think you were completely
mad, however it didn't take me very long to realise that this dog had
more control over him that I did. Also Henry quickly learnt that
being attached to Bessie provided him with more freedom than me
gripping his hand or indeed the pushchair where he would often have
to ride in. Gone are the days where we used to get tangled up and
Henry is now an expert at doing quick turns to walk on Bessie's left
or right so that he can inspect something of interest. Now at the
age of 5 Henry can still squeeze into the pushchair if going for
longer walks, but other than that he is able to walk with Bessie. I
have no idea how we were going to wean him off the pushchair if we
did not get our dog.
Something that I really did not expect is Henry's ability to
understand so quickly the commands we gave Bessie. When harnessed to
her, Henry follows the commands of "to the curb" and "wait" etc which
he never did when we used to say it directly to him! It was almost
like the pressure was off him as the command was given to him via
Bessie. He will now usually stop at the curb before the physical
restriction of the harness, however he still does get excited when he
sees buses and tries to reach out at them, but I am always 100%
confident that on the harness system he is safe. Hopefully one day
Henry may not need to wear his harness as he will hold onto the
second lead independently. If Henry is not attached to Bessie I
would find it almost impossible to go for a walk with him as he is
now a big strong boy and loses all sense of road safety when Bessie
is not attached. He still does a mad dash across the road without
looking and particularly loves running along the middle white line!
Although Henry is non-verbal occasionally the phrase "good girl" pops
out of his mouth when he approaches his dog.
Henry continues to enjoy the sensory experience that Bessie's coat
provides. She allows him to be grabbed around the back and head
particularly and we have all learnt to trust her that she will move
away if he is too rough. Recently I have noticed he is starting to
practice softer patting that he sees the rest of his family do. My
favourite though is when I see him sitting close to her face to face
looking at her and he then plants a kiss on her mouth! Henry also
laughs at games we all play with Bessie such as fetch and a couple of
times he has thrown her something to fetch. As you know this game
requires joint attention which is an important skill to develop in
children.
Thank you Julie for all your hard work you put into these dogs. Not
only do you have amazing skills in dog training but your ability to
identify the needs of the family and make the right match between
both is spot on. We are forever grateful for everything you have
done and look forward to seeing you at your next visit.
Kind Regards
Paula, Chris and family
DYLAN
Wednesday 27th July 2011
Dear Assistance Dogs New Zealand
We would like to thank you for Dylan, the beautiful new addition to our family. A year down the track we’re happy to report that he has seamlessly fitted into our little family unit –always eager to please and extremely obedient. Most importantly he’s Jesse’s best friend and we watch with delight as the bond between them continually grows.
Dylan seems to understand that Jesse is his charge and he appears to relish his work. When out together on harness Dylan is happy, confident and purposeful, and this rubs off on everyone. Thanks to Dylan, our walks in public are now happy and relaxed, without the constant fear that Jesse might suddenly run into the traffic. Whenever Jesse’s upset or self harms, Dylan’s ever ready with a reassuring nudge to distract him. Wherever we go, Dylan’s there, a constant non-judgmental companion – whether it’s chasing a stick in the park, or having a cuddle in the backseat of the car – no amount of strange noises or odd behaviour worry him. He has also been a bridge to our community and a wonderful conversation icebreaker when out in public.
There have been some other surprising and unexpected benefits too - When Dylan first arrived, there was a noticeable increase in Jesse’s verbalising. While Jesse generally remains non-verbal, it has given us renewed hope that one-day he may yet talk.
- While I’m not sure that it’s something Dylan was trained to do, recently when visiting friends of the family, Jesse quietly made his way outside – When we suddenly realised that Jesse was nowhere to be seen, we rushed outside to find Dylan herding him off the street.
Thank you Assistance Dogs for fulfilling your promise and exceeding our expectations. We would have no hesitation in recommending Assistance Dogs New Zealand to other families with children like Jesse. Dylan has added another dimension to our family, and life is generally just that little bit happier and easier since he arrived.
Kind regards,
Grant and Belinda
Dear Assistance Dogs New Zealand
We would like to thank you for Dylan, the beautiful new addition to our family. A year down the track we’re happy to report that he has seamlessly fitted into our little family unit –always eager to please and extremely obedient. Most importantly he’s Jesse’s best friend and we watch with delight as the bond between them continually grows.
Dylan seems to understand that Jesse is his charge and he appears to relish his work. When out together on harness Dylan is happy, confident and purposeful, and this rubs off on everyone. Thanks to Dylan, our walks in public are now happy and relaxed, without the constant fear that Jesse might suddenly run into the traffic. Whenever Jesse’s upset or self harms, Dylan’s ever ready with a reassuring nudge to distract him. Wherever we go, Dylan’s there, a constant non-judgmental companion – whether it’s chasing a stick in the park, or having a cuddle in the backseat of the car – no amount of strange noises or odd behaviour worry him. He has also been a bridge to our community and a wonderful conversation icebreaker when out in public.
There have been some other surprising and unexpected benefits too - When Dylan first arrived, there was a noticeable increase in Jesse’s verbalising. While Jesse generally remains non-verbal, it has given us renewed hope that one-day he may yet talk.
- While I’m not sure that it’s something Dylan was trained to do, recently when visiting friends of the family, Jesse quietly made his way outside – When we suddenly realised that Jesse was nowhere to be seen, we rushed outside to find Dylan herding him off the street.
Thank you Assistance Dogs for fulfilling your promise and exceeding our expectations. We would have no hesitation in recommending Assistance Dogs New Zealand to other families with children like Jesse. Dylan has added another dimension to our family, and life is generally just that little bit happier and easier since he arrived.
Kind regards,
Grant and Belinda
ANDY
There's no clearer way to demonstrate the incredible impact Assistance Dogs have on the lives of people with disabilities, than with real world examples.
Here are two letters. One is from Vanessa, the mother of two Autistic boys and the first recipient of an Assistance Dog from the ADNZ, to Annie and Doug who kindly donated their puppy to the Trust. The other is Annie and Doug's response to Vanessa's letter. Julie Hancox trained Andy (pictured left), the delightful Golden Labrador/Retriever cross who has made such a difference to their lives.
Here are two letters. One is from Vanessa, the mother of two Autistic boys and the first recipient of an Assistance Dog from the ADNZ, to Annie and Doug who kindly donated their puppy to the Trust. The other is Annie and Doug's response to Vanessa's letter. Julie Hancox trained Andy (pictured left), the delightful Golden Labrador/Retriever cross who has made such a difference to their lives.
27 September 2009
Dear Julie,
Re: ANDY - COMPANION ASSISTANCE DOG
I was wondering if you could please pass this letter on to the previous owners of Andy who kindly gave him to you to train for us as an Assistance Dog for Trent and James for their Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
My name is Vanessa and I have two boys Trent (aged 10) and James (aged 6) who have both been diagnosed on the Autistic Spectrum.
We have been the lucky recipients of your wonderful dog Andy. He has been trained specifically to deal with Trent and James’s Autism.
Every day Andy makes a difference to mine and the boys lives. Julie has trained him specifically to deal with everyday tasks that are easier for children without a disability. Trent has needed a much loved non judgmental companion and has difficulty showing affection which can be typical of children with this disorder. Trent does not voluntarily show affection or express his emotions, that have all changed since Andy came into our lives. Trent voluntarily cuddles and loves Andy and tells him everyday what he means to him, even after nine years of therapy to get this response from Trent he did not show his emotions. This is something that he does not even do with me his mum. To see him express himself like this is something that I thought would never be possible.
James receives so much joy from Andy in so many different ways. Andy helps me keep James safe when walking due to James not realizing the dangers of traffic. Andy has a harness which has a lead attached to it for James to hold and I hold a main leash. Andy has been trained to assistance walk James to and from school and around our local area keeping him safe and allowing us the freedom of being able to get out and about more easily.
Within days of Andy arriving James started to speak more clearly and used a lot more descriptive words than in the past. He also has learnt to read in that time and Andy has clearly been a motivator for that. Andy helps me to encourage James to do what he is asked, for example if James won’t get out the bath, Andy comes into the bathroom and I tell James that Andy needs him to get out of the bath and give him a cuddle. A situation at one time that would leave me and James quite distressed, me trying to get him out of the bath and him refusing. Also in the first week of welcoming Andy to our family James wrote his first words and yes it was all about Andy, he still writes constantly about him. He drew his first picture and of course once again it was all about Andy.
There is so much more I could tell you, but what I really wanted to say to you is that we are so grateful and thankful for having Andy in our lives. If it was not for you putting in the fantastic work you did and caring for him as a puppy and then allowing Julie to have him to train we would not be in the very lucky position we are today.
We love him very much, so once again thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Yours sincerely,
Vanessa
Dear Julie,
Re: ANDY - COMPANION ASSISTANCE DOG
I was wondering if you could please pass this letter on to the previous owners of Andy who kindly gave him to you to train for us as an Assistance Dog for Trent and James for their Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
My name is Vanessa and I have two boys Trent (aged 10) and James (aged 6) who have both been diagnosed on the Autistic Spectrum.
We have been the lucky recipients of your wonderful dog Andy. He has been trained specifically to deal with Trent and James’s Autism.
Every day Andy makes a difference to mine and the boys lives. Julie has trained him specifically to deal with everyday tasks that are easier for children without a disability. Trent has needed a much loved non judgmental companion and has difficulty showing affection which can be typical of children with this disorder. Trent does not voluntarily show affection or express his emotions, that have all changed since Andy came into our lives. Trent voluntarily cuddles and loves Andy and tells him everyday what he means to him, even after nine years of therapy to get this response from Trent he did not show his emotions. This is something that he does not even do with me his mum. To see him express himself like this is something that I thought would never be possible.
James receives so much joy from Andy in so many different ways. Andy helps me keep James safe when walking due to James not realizing the dangers of traffic. Andy has a harness which has a lead attached to it for James to hold and I hold a main leash. Andy has been trained to assistance walk James to and from school and around our local area keeping him safe and allowing us the freedom of being able to get out and about more easily.
Within days of Andy arriving James started to speak more clearly and used a lot more descriptive words than in the past. He also has learnt to read in that time and Andy has clearly been a motivator for that. Andy helps me to encourage James to do what he is asked, for example if James won’t get out the bath, Andy comes into the bathroom and I tell James that Andy needs him to get out of the bath and give him a cuddle. A situation at one time that would leave me and James quite distressed, me trying to get him out of the bath and him refusing. Also in the first week of welcoming Andy to our family James wrote his first words and yes it was all about Andy, he still writes constantly about him. He drew his first picture and of course once again it was all about Andy.
There is so much more I could tell you, but what I really wanted to say to you is that we are so grateful and thankful for having Andy in our lives. If it was not for you putting in the fantastic work you did and caring for him as a puppy and then allowing Julie to have him to train we would not be in the very lucky position we are today.
We love him very much, so once again thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Yours sincerely,
Vanessa
Dear Julie,
I've just read Vanessa's email to me and Doug, and we were crying through it all! I could not stop crying and we are so thankful that she even took the time to write to us. What a special lady and we are so happy about the part you played to make us feel this way.
Please tell Vanessa that she is more than welcome to contact us any time if she wants to. We already feel part of a thing much greater than us. And may God richly bless you Julie for what you do and the lives of people you can touch through our 'human' friends like Andy.
God bless,
Annie and Doug
ADNZ companion assistance dog.....19th November 2008
"Alice has really bonded with Lizzie, and tonight Alice had a total meltdown - screaming for Lizzie - once she had Lizzie on her bed she was instantly calm. As parents we could do nothing. So Lizzie is a godsend-and I want others to get the same....."
31st May 2010
Hi, my name is Alice
and I am going to tell you about Lizzie, my Autism Assistance Dog.
Here are some of the things that she does.
Lizzie does tricks like
“shake”,
“Hi 5”,
“down”,
“up sit”
and “up” when she’s getting into the car.
Lizzie used to sleep on my bed, which made me feel happy.
Lizzie comes to the café, to the doctors, and to the ballet.
She also comes to the museum and horse riding.
Lizzie is my friend and my family.
I kiss and hug her and
I love her so much.
That’s why Lizzie is so important to my family.
Hi, my name is Alice
and I am going to tell you about Lizzie, my Autism Assistance Dog.
Here are some of the things that she does.
Lizzie does tricks like
“shake”,
“Hi 5”,
“down”,
“up sit”
and “up” when she’s getting into the car.
Lizzie used to sleep on my bed, which made me feel happy.
Lizzie comes to the café, to the doctors, and to the ballet.
She also comes to the museum and horse riding.
Lizzie is my friend and my family.
I kiss and hug her and
I love her so much.
That’s why Lizzie is so important to my family.
Copyright Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust 2010 | All rights reserved
