Wonderful Dog - Girls Best Friend
Posted: 11 Nov 2018, 18:33
Dear All
I have just had the most moving encounter with a teenage girl in our local park. Started out as nothing unusual - yellow lab playing ball and Lily (my black lab) raced in to say hello and see if she could join in the game. I noticed that the yellow lab had a poppy on it's collar and commented upon it. The teenage girl then said "My teacher made it for him". As the dog returned with ball in mouth, I had a closer look at the poppy and commented on how beautiful it was. The girl then said "he is my best friend. He is my assistance dog. I have autism and difficulty processing information among other things and he reduces my stress". Another ball throw and I asked how old the dog was. The dog was 18 months old and she had had him for about 1 month. I asked if he had made a difference and she said "my hair has stopped falling out which it used to do as a result of stress". I walked away saying "I hope you have many happy years together with your new best friend" and she thanked me.
To my knowledge, I have never before met this young girl, and as I walked away I was almost in tears as I contemplated what amazing gifts our canine friends bring to us.
Jane (and Lily)
I have just had the most moving encounter with a teenage girl in our local park. Started out as nothing unusual - yellow lab playing ball and Lily (my black lab) raced in to say hello and see if she could join in the game. I noticed that the yellow lab had a poppy on it's collar and commented upon it. The teenage girl then said "My teacher made it for him". As the dog returned with ball in mouth, I had a closer look at the poppy and commented on how beautiful it was. The girl then said "he is my best friend. He is my assistance dog. I have autism and difficulty processing information among other things and he reduces my stress". Another ball throw and I asked how old the dog was. The dog was 18 months old and she had had him for about 1 month. I asked if he had made a difference and she said "my hair has stopped falling out which it used to do as a result of stress". I walked away saying "I hope you have many happy years together with your new best friend" and she thanked me.
To my knowledge, I have never before met this young girl, and as I walked away I was almost in tears as I contemplated what amazing gifts our canine friends bring to us.
Jane (and Lily)
