As soon as we started puppy raising Nasreen, we could see just how sweet and attentive she was. She was unfazed when multiple kids would pet her, and crowds and loud noises didn’t bother her at all. She was very snuggly and loved to cuddle. One day we were in a crowded outdoor mall when an event was taking place. My daughter started having an anxiety from the noise and people so I got her away to a grassy area behind the mall. My daughter sat in the grass and Nasreen climbed in her lap unprompted and just sat there and let my daughter hug her. That was the point that I knew she would make an amazing autism assistance dog.
*Nasreen was placed as an autism assistance dog with her partner in October 2017.
From the moment 4 month-old Mulder romped into the room and presented both of us with the “doodle hug,” my husband and I knew we were in trouble. We told ourselves that we were going to do this puppy raising for someone else, that we would guard our hearts so that we would never have to experience the ache of saying goodbye to another dog. It was as if he knew we needed him to love for a little while, as much as Joe needed him after he was finished with the business of growing. And so, our journey began. It didn’t take us long to figure out that he was a special guy. As puppy raisers we took our job very seriously. We took him with us everywhere we went and we created as many experiences as possible that we could think of that a family might need him to be prepared. Along the way, as we introduced him to kids of all ages at schools, churches, libraries, festivals, playgrounds, museums – you name it – we wound up meeting a whole host of people with whom we would have never had a conversation.
Without a doubt the most rewarding part of our experience as Puppy Raisers has been these months after Mulder met Joe and became his best friend. There were times while raising him when we thought there would be no way he would ever sleep on a bed, given his love for the tile floor or the air conditioner vents. His love for playing ball, greeting people and other dogs and sniffing every smell in the grocery store were all potential distractors that we wondered how on earth he would ever leave behind. But then, through the photos his new family posted, we’ve seen Mulder develop a love for someone much more special than any of his puppy favorites. Seeing photos of Mulder and his boy sleeping together, hanging out with Joe’s classmates at school together and most recently being a comfort to Joe in an overwhelming situation without even being asked to do so has simply made all those tears that were shed on the drive back home from give-back day worth it.
From the second I met Cessna, I was head over heels in love. Being my first 4 Paws for Ability foster, I had no idea how quickly he would become my best friend and how deeply I would bond with him. Throughout the 8 ½ half months that he lived with me, we only grew closer, which made his give back day all the more difficult.
July 10, 2017 – We practice tracking for a reason.
May 22, 2010 We were in the October 2009 class, my daughter Riley is paired with Jingle, an autism service dog. Riley is almost ten and has Asperger’s and severe anxiety. Riley ran away yesterday, during a clay sculpture class. She ran screaming down a long narrow hallway that led to several places. I followed with Jingle on the leash, but we weren’t quick enough. Riley took a corner and disappeared.
December 18, 2010 Update by Matthew Powell’s mother. Just wanted to send you some pictures of Matthew and Basil so you can see what Basil has done for Matthew. He is out of his wheelchair now, thanks to you and Basil.
2011. Alaska mom one year later, writing on Facebook. If you in any way donated time, money, mushed dogs, bid in the auction, did a news story, donated items, fostered a dog, trained, or helped us in any way with obtaining our service dog Juke, please know:
