A Boy and his Dog

This is Gabe; he just turned nine (in case you couldn't tell by the balloon) Gabe has a host of special needs, both visible and invisible. The biggest issue we're facing right now is his Autism spectrum diagnosis. It makes it hard for him to interact appropriately with other people despite the fact that he WANTS to interact with them. He has been afraid of dogs for as long as I can remember even though there's no real reason to be afraid. He's never been bitten or even barked at loudly. He's just not a fan.

This is Betsy, she's going to be two next week (no balloon picture, sorry) Betsy has host of special needs as well, the largest one being that she was given up for adoption by her first owners. We found her out at Tails which is our favorite local animal shelter. (Mr. Bonicat came from there as well) We knew she was going to have some challenges when we adopted her, the biggest one being that she was still considered a puppy and she hadn't had any real training. Also, Betsy for being a mix of two really intelligent dog breeds, is really kind of dumb. But she's cute and loyal so her lack of sense doesn't matter much :D

When we first got Betsy, Gabe was apprehensive, at best, about having a dog. He's more of a cat person if we're all honest. Cats are quiet and weird and will snuggle with you when you are reading. Also, cats don't generally drool on you when they sit on your lap...oh and cats aren't 50 pound dogs who think they are cats, so there's that.

Betsy, however, took to our home and quirks in about two seconds. She was so damn happy to be here with us and not in a shelter with barking dogs and strangers. They treated her well but she requires approximately 152 scratches on the nose per day and no one really has time for that (except us apparently)

Over the last seven months these two have taken to each other likes ducks in water.

Over the last few months Gabe has gotten so much more comfortable with Betsy and other dogs in general. We've been to a few different pet expos full of dogs and people and Gabe has become chatty and interested and even donated a dollar a few weeks ago to have a dog LICK him (this one is huge because he hates that) Betsy has been the best therapy money can buy...she has made him come out of his shell in a way our cats (sorry guys) have never been able to do. Yes, Betsy is a pain in our rears, I  mean she did EAT A COUCH and dig a hole halfway to China this fall BUT overall, she's a pretty good dog. Aw heck, who am I kidding? She IS a good dog and we're all lucky to have her...Gabe especially.