Pets and children with Apergers

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We want to get our AS 9 year old son a dog. Does anyone have any experience with dogs and perhaps the benefits of an AS child having a dog?

Thanks,
Butchie

i have 17 pets and i think they're great for anyone but especially someone with as or autism

i had cats as a kid, and dogs later. would HIGHLY recommend it. they are completely accepting and you learn pretty quickly (with cats) what their body language means. their reinforcment mechanisms are pretty sharp.

Dogs can be very calming and will accept you nomatter what. I try and bring mine everywhere even work sometimes he just makes me feel better. I highly recomend it.

Just be prepared to do the actual work depending on the child. My boy is great about taking care of Mr. One-eyed, Sniffy and all his stuffed pets. Our real dog is too old to be a pal and I hesitate on getting him his own dog just because I've cleaned up enough already.

We are going to try some volunteering at a local Humane Society. We also have a place that fosters retired greyhounds. I think that could be a great bridge between thinking about the responsibility of owning a dog and actually caring for one. Plus, helping those animals is a good thing and could help any child - ASD or not. Pets are wonderful - ASD or not - but you know where your child is at as far as responsiblity. I'm just being careful here. I would never want to set my kid up to fail. That's the other reason why we're going the volunteer route first.

And, yeah, there will probably be one that follow us home.

Some can handle the care of an animal, some are perhaps not ready - and that goes for adults too. We have a neighbor that won't clean up after his dog - makes me nuts!

My sons love the pets...all of them!!... We have dog, cats, fish, guinea pigs we did have a trantula as well and bird.

The cats and dog seem to to take the boys more than anyone else in the family.

They do help out with the care of their pets but when it comes to things that they are obsessed about for instance germs then we dont expect them to clean up after the animals.

I personally think that pets are a great way to help them learn to care for something and form an emotional attachment and the animals are always a willing participant in any interaction that the boys have with them, they are not rough and seem to know that they have to be gentle.

A dog or a cat is one of the best things that a child on the autistic spectrum can have. They offer something that he/she can't find in human companions: unconditional acceptance and predictablility. However, since animals are living things, they are still able to give feedback and experience emotions. Unlike in humans, emotions in animals are very easy to read, which can teach a child how to read a person's body language.

Dogs are of the most non-judgmental living things to have ever existed, and the interaction with them is much more logical than with a human, from an autistic person's point of view. Namely, the child offers food, a walk, a place to sleep, and a pet on the head, while getting back tremendous amounts of affection and loyalty (and learning these concepts in the process). Also, dogs are capably of playing the same game for a long time. For instance, if a child likes to roll a ball on the floor but doesn't like bringing it back, the dog will gladly roll it back to the child, even if the game continues for hours. In the end, the dog gets its excercise, and the child gets to play.

Cats are similar with respect of giving affection in exchange for meeting basic needs and accepting a person exactly for who he or she is. Although they tend to offer less direct interaction, they are still fun companions for children's games. For instance, a normally anxious autistic child will get a lot enjoyment from watching a cat jump and chase after a ball he or she is pulling on a string. Cats also enjoy sitting on a person's lap and being petted, even if for a long time (a form of stimming, perhaps?). Since they are so much smaller than people, a cat can often make a child feel like a protector, and raise his or her self-esteem in the process.

So if you're wondering whether you should get a dog for your son, the answer is YES! There's something about interacting with a pet that can teach values nothing else can, especially to an aspie. I have AS myself, and when I was little, I begged my parents to get me a pet, which they flat-out refused. Almost all my friends at the time had pets, and their lives seemed so happy; it seemed that I could be happy too by getting a pet, and yet my parents were denying me that happiness. I still resent them for it. On a more pleasant note, I recommend getting your son a large dog (at least knee-height). They usually tolerate pushing and poking better than smaller dogs.

I would suggest a nice big dog. A younger aspie might have problems with a smaller dog as its too hyper and therefore stimulating. I have a lab at my dads house and its always calm (and has been for the most part since it was like 2.)

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I agree with many of the things said here about dogs. Dogs and kids get along great NT or aspie. Kids can give dogs the relentless attention that dogs crave, and likewise, dogs soak up the endless attention that kids are willing to give them. Dogs need lots of attention, so I would only recommend a dog if your family has someone home there a large part of the day, or if your kids If you and your kids are involved in lots of extra-curriclular activities, a dog may not be the best pet. This is because when you all get home from all the activities, you will be bum tired, but the dog, being lonely and bored all day will be ready to play! I believe is is simply cruel to leave a dog outside all day with no interaction with others. The most annoying dogs, bad-mannered dogs in the neighborhood are typically the most neglected ones. If this is your lifestyle, please don't burden the rest of your neighborhood with a lonely pet!

One thing for an to mention for an Aspie kid however is based on sensory issues. If your kid has a lot of sensory issues, I would not recommend a barky, wild dog. The dog may overwhelm your kid with it's rambuncious spirit. A little bit calmer, easy going dog may be more well suited. Dogs give easy to read communications and expressions that even aspies can pick up on, so there shouldn't be any problem with a child bonding to a dog through communications. I know myself, I emotionally attach to justa bout anything easily, especially animals. Aspies and auties have also been known to treat animals quite well and fairly, so I believe there is little issue in them harming a pet through teasing (something that makes me cringe is when I see NT kids harming animals) A dog, or any animal for that matter thrives on routines, just like auties and aspies do, and adding the routines of care into your kid's life should not be a problem. One of the things that any and all kids enjoy about dogs that cats will never be able to do is being able to teach and train them. This is very gratifying for any kid, and is a great way for them to bond!

i agree with everyone else about dogs....just remember to teach your son about "not getting in a dog's face"~ we had an unfortunate incident when my daughter decided to talk to our old, shelter dog. she leaned over top of the dog, and stuck her face right up next to the dog's~needless to say, our old shelter dog did not take kindly to this "domination". daughter ended up with a nasty bite on the face~healed ok, but looked horrible !

i got my first pets when i was 6. a rabbit. but it hated me and every one. it hated being touched or played with i felt rather upset because of this. even in death he wasnt nice!! he decided to die on my 8th birthday. Typical!

but anyway. for 2 years i kept asking my parents if i could have a cat and they always kept saying no.
but they saw me once stroking the neighbours cat and saw how i was paying attention to it and they decided to get a cat from the animal shelter. we all fell in love with these cats at the animal shelter and we brought back not one cat, but two!!
they are now 14 and both very sweet! though one doesnt like being touched as much as the other it doesnt bother me all that much anymore and i stroke hom maybe once a day. the other cat is as friendly as ever. so much as look at him and hell purr. i like it very much also because he looks at me like his 'favourite human'. and no humans think im their favourite human so i see this as special.
he follows me around the house and right now is asleep next to me on the bed. he always knows where to lie on the bed too. becuase he comes in at night too i tend to move my legs around a lot in my sleep. so he knows always to sit nearer my shoulder. if he does sit the wrong place i pat the bed where i want him and say 'come here puss' and he obliges and comes! hes like a little dog! he loves being brushed and his ears tickled. and i love giving him the attention as much as he likes to recieve it. he still chases his tail!! and hes 14 lol

We have an eight year old Blue Heeler/Collie cross. My daughter is not diagnosed, but I think she is probably AS. I have been amazed at the intelligence of this dog. My daughter benefits because she can go many places around our neighborhood that she wouldn't go as confidently if not for the dog. The most important service that the dog provides is PROTECTION. We live in a ghetto-like neighborhood with alot of crime. The dog is intelligent not to attack just anyone, but she provides protection so that my pre-teen children can go to the park together during the day and other places and they are aware that if anyone tried to physically hurt my kids this dog would protect them.

The other day I was crossing the road with the dog when a car came speeding down the street. The driver slowed, but not enough for me to know whether it was safe to cross or not in front of his car. He opened his car window and yelled at me to cross the street. I yelled back at the driver what a jerk he was for speeding in a school zone. The driver, some uptight jerk with a hateon, went to step out of his car to come toward me. I turned and saw him do this but then also saw his eyes rest on the dog at my side, and he did not continue in his threatening movement. I was thinking, "Yea, buddy, you just try it and this dog will tear you to pieces."

I enjoyed the feeling of protection very much.

We have a small yard, and so we bought a shih tzu last year. My son adores her, and has learned a great deal of patience by taking time to teach her tricks. It has been a great experience. I would have loved a larger dog personally, but our yard size and my son's fears prevented that.

I would highly reccommend getting a dog that is great with kids and families, but unless you plan on walking the dog and taking it out to play every single day, then maybe an energetic dog like a Border Collie wouldn't be such a good idea. But, I have always had dogs, and I would hope to continue having them forever. What I like about dogs is that you can talk to them about anything, and it feels like they are listening and they are excellent at that. I tell my dog anything, most of which, I wouldn't talk to my parents about, but that's just me. And I hope that won't give you any ideas. But I would definately get a dog. My first two dogs that I had were an Irish Setter and a Golden Retriever and then on out we have had Pound Dogs. The one I have right now is a Husky/Lab mix and she is wonderful.

I have two Golden Retrievers, and I love them. Without my dogs, I don't think I would wander around in the mountains as much as I do, and I love the mountains. They just make me feel safe. And they are always happy. And they don't mind when I talk forever about stuff no one else wants to listen to. I like to brush them and talk to them at the same time, and I know it sounds silly, but I am pretty sure that they can understand me. Right now, I am working on teaching them tricks in German. They understand English just fine, but I've always wanted a bilingual dog--the trick is in hand signals. If the hand signal is the same, then they do the trick! (Okay, so that is obvious.)

My favorite, though, is my cat, Zeus. I love the way his fur feels and how he vibrates when he purrs. I love it when he sleeps on my head because he's small enough he doesn't crowd me out like my dogs do...plus, he's 20 pounds and I love the pressure.

I think pets are important for everyone because they are so nonjudgmental, which I have always found to be very soothing. Especially after a long day dealing with people.

My dogs make my life much, much easier. They provide a source of unconditional love, acceptance and emotional stability as well as comfort. (It doesn't hurt that dogs happen to be my obsessive interest, and I'm ALWAYS up to talk about them.) Dogs have also helped me to better understand people emotions, since I can extrapolate my knowledge of dog emotions and body language to people.

I got the first dog that was really 'mine' when I was nine (previously we had a pair of family JRTs, one of whom had just died), and she was a huge comfort to me. She got me through all the trials and hell I went through in middle school and became my rock of comfort. She was everything to me. Unfortunately, when she was five she and our surviving JRT started to seriously fight and my family became no longer able to take care of her, and my parents put her up for adoption. At my insistance, we screened potential adopters very carefully until we found a good home, but nevertheless I was devastated for nearly a year over it. When we moved, my parents relented and allowed me to adopt a terrier mix, whom I love dearly and have been working with in obedience.

Just make sure that you do get a dog that fits well in your house. If your son can't stand noise, do not get a terrier. If he's a little prone to tripping everywhere and might fall on the dog, don't get a Sighthound. A nervous dog might be a bad idea as well. By the way, intelligence in dogs equals work. If you aren't interested in training the dog highly, don't get a really intelligent breed like a Border Collie or a Standard Poodle; a bored dog will find new ways to amuse itself and you usually will not like these. If he's afraid of big dogs, you might want to consider a relatively low-energy, sturdy smaller dog like a Beagle. If you adopt an adult dog, make sure that the shelter knows EXACTLY what you are looking for; sometimes shelter personnel can help you find the perfect animal for you. You can also usually find dogs of all breeds, ages, and genders up for adoption on http://www.petfinder.com, many of which will already be spayed or neutered. It's a great site, free of charge, and a lot of shelters advertise all the animals up for adoption there.

Also, make sure that your son knows canine manners and some dog body language; for instance, a tail wagging back and forth slowly and stiffly does NOT mean happiness; it means warning. Spending some time with the pets of friends or at shelters might help him learn. Finally, don't expect him to assume all responsibility for the dog--I'm fifteen, and I devote half my waking minutes to dogs, and I still can't do everything (although I do groom, feed, water, and exercise both dogs, I still need help--and younger kids tend to be worse at it).