A mom from Alabama captured the precious moment her son was finally reunited with his dog, following four months of training to become his autism assistance animal.
In April, Hannah Caitlin Parker, 28, made the decision to have her family dog, Belle, a standard goldendoodle, trained as an assistance animal. She looked at a few different programs, ultimately choosing to go with ProK9 in Granbury, Texas.
The training took around four months, and with the geographical distance from Alabama to Texas, the family couldn’t see Belle throughout. It was certainly a challenge, but Parker told Newsweek that they were “counting down the days” until they were finally reunited.
“Separating from her was hard, but Jonas understood that, when she came back, she would be an even-better helper for him than before,” Parker said.
In July, the family made a 15-hour road trip to collect Belle, also undergoing eight days learning how to be her handlers and becoming certified. It was such a special moment when the family finally saw their dog once again, and Jonas could hardly contain his excitement.
Even prior to training, Belle and Jonas were “best friends,” but becoming his assistance dog has only strengthened their connection.
Parker said: “When Jonas is excited and in a new environment, he tends to stim more and get overly excited. Because of her training to be calm in chaos, it took Belle a minute to get excited, but, when she did, we couldn’t keep her from giving them all the puppy kisses.”
Parker added: “During our eight days, Jonas put her to the test simply by being himself, and it has already proven to be such an amazing help. Belle already did so many of these tasks without realizing it, but ProK9 helped her reach her full potential and gave her the tools to be an even-better best friend to our boy.”
Jonas is a “sensory seeker,” according to Parker, meaning that he craves touch, such as hugs or squeezes, when things become overwhelming. Belle is trained to do deep pressure by putting her weight against Jonas to help counter that. She will also be able to recognize when Jonas is having a stimulatory episode and help regulate his emotions by doing pressure or giving him a kiss.
Additionally, Belle is scent-trained to recognize both Jonas and his older sister, Charleigh, in case they get separated from their parents. Parker told Newsweek that this is “a huge concern” for many autism families, and it is a relief to know that Belle can find them in an emergency.
Following the emotional reunion, Parker shared footage of the moment on TikTok (@hannahcaitlinparker) and it delighted internet users. At the time of writing, the video has already generated over 943,000 views and more than 104,000 likes on TikTok.
The clip shows Jonas rushing over to Belle and giving her all the fuss, closely followed by Charleigh. After four long months without her, it was so heartening to finally see the besties back together.
Parker started documenting her experience as an autism family on social media, and she is so grateful to connect with others while also educating people on the impacts of neurodiversity.
Parker said: “The most-amazing thing about it has been how the world noticed our daughter and how she handled her brother’s stimming and excitement. So often with special-needs families, a sibling can feel overlooked, and we are very aware of that. Charleigh loves her brother so deeply, and it was neat to see how the world viewed her response toward her brother, one of calming and guidance.
“I have no doubt that autism service dogs can be key to give kids an even-better way to navigate their days. Autism makes the world bigger, days harder, and everything a bit brighter and louder for kids on the spectrum, and a well-trained service dog can help them navigate all of that,” Parker continued.
In the days since the adorable video went viral, hundreds of TikTok users have praised the bond between Jonas and Belle. This has led to more than 460 comments on the TikTok post so far.
One comment reads: “How lucky is this sweet guy with his big sister and his service dog.”
Another TikTok user wrote: “I wish all dogs knew this kind of love.”
A third person added: “Big sister got his back for life. You can see it on her.”
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The post Tears As Autistic Boy, 6, Reunites With Family Dog Trained To Support Him appeared first on Newsweek.
