We have seen several cases of pets having a therapeutic effect on people. There are certain conditions that defy this theory. Nevertheless, this is something that cannot be denied. For many people, having dogs at home makes everything a little bit easier. Having a dog is not always a sure thing when it comes to therapy as they would find out. For them, their son’s condition is a very challenging one. It’s not temporary nor it goes away after a while. In fact, there is no known cure for it.
When Jonny wasn’t reaching his milestones, his parents knew something was up. They saw that there was clearly something different with his behavior. He would be more reserved than other kids his age. The family had a couple of small dogs as pets. They were very sweet dogs and the family loved them. They had no effect on Jonny whatsoever. He ignored them as if they existed in a parallel universe.
Jonny is taken to the doctor to be diagnosed. The diagnosis confirms his parent’s fears: Jonny is autistic. His diagnosis strikes a very deep chord with his mother. She doesn’t know how to react to it. As many parents do, Jonny’s parents start to read and learn about autism. They find out that there are many levels of autism. They also learn that getting them to interact is a very difficult feat to accomplish.
They start Jonny in therapy as soon as they can. As you can imagine, therapy doesn’t come cheap. They have spent thousands of dollars with very little result. Doing good in school isn’t proving any easy, either. There are some days that are manageable and there are others that are very tough. For Jonny’s parents, it is about survival at this point. Seeing that their pet dogs don’t do anything for Jonny breaks their heart. It’s as being diagnosed with something more serious.
One day, Jonny’s mother is watching a program on television. They show a rescued female pit bull that has been severely abused. She is very malnourished and needs a lot of help. This breaks her heart as she sees her unable to move. They fear that she might not be able to make it. The shelter even sets up her own special Facebook page. They would post updates on her condition and people could friend her and find out how she is doing. Jonny’s mother prays for her every day.
