3/31/14: Day 1 of Training

Today was our first day of official training at 4 Paws for Ability.  It was so exciting to meet Alec's service dog, as well as the other families and their dogs.  What we were not prepared for was Alec's reaction to Rafi.  He did a lot of talking about Rafi and showed interest prior to the trip, but once he met his dog, he needed to be forced to pet him and didn't want much to do with giving him treats or attention.  His behavior was out of control and we needed to go to the play area outdoors.  Thank God there was a playground and outdoor trampoline. 

After talking to the trainers, we are only going to bring Alec to training when it's absolutely necessary.  There is at least one other family that needs to take this approach as well.  As the handlers, Bill and I will need to concentrate and learn all we can while we're here.  One of us will always be at training class.  The bonding process will take longer than we hoped, but we need to be educated handlers. 

We also have a very upset little Dayna.  Reminding her that her dog is Buster (at home) isn't really helping.  This is a hard time for her :(

Toward the end of the day, Rafi decided to move closer to Alec and then gave him a lick/kiss on the hand.  That was a nice little moment and so desperately needed :)  We are told that we have a resilient dog, and we are confident that he will be able to handle Alec.  However, he is such a sweet and gentle dog too.  The perfect combination!!!

Signing off for today...an exhausted Stearns Family!

Alec's Service Dog: Meet Rafi

Meet "Rafi" - Alec's 4 Paws Service Dog!  We will be meeting him in less than two days!  The journey to 4 Paws begins tomorrow.  Follow along with us as we post photos and (hopefully) video, and narrative of our training experience!  We are so excited that this day is a reality!  <3

Waiting Game

As of tomorrow morning...March 19th, the Stearns Family will be meeting Alec's 4 Paws service dog in 12 DAYS!  Also, sometime in the next week or so, the March/April class will be receiving their service dog matches by e-mail!  Once we have the dog's photo, name, and story -- we will be posting to share with everyone!  What an exciting time!  STAY TUNED :)

Video: Trainers, Service Dogs, and Families @ 4 Paws

To understand the process at 4 Paws for Ability, watch this amazing video, and I DARE YOU to NOT CRY!  4 Paws for Ability: Turning Point Video

Alec's Autism Service Dog: The Process

A service dog is usually 12 months old when it goes into formal training.  From that age, they are trained for 11 months to be an autism assistance dog.  As a family (with a LOT of help and generosity), we raised the required $13,000 on behalf of 4 Paws for Ability, Inc.  Their web site is www.4pawsforability.org.  It costs them $22,000 to fully train each service dog.  They do their own fundraising to make up the difference. 


We had to fill out a lot of paperwork and send in video of Alec, so the trainers can better understand Alec's needs.  More about our fundraising process and story can be found at: https://sites.google.com/site/alec4paws/


For 2 weeks in April, we will be in Xenia, Ohio at the 4 Paws facility.  We will train with Alec and his dog, learning all the commands that can be used, as well as what the dog is capable of doing.  A great overview of Autism Assistance service dogs can be found here: http://4pawsforability.org/autism-assistance-dog/


As we begin this journey, I (Christina, AKA "Mom") will be blogging our photos and experiences to share :)


-Christina

A Blog is Born!

I chose this title, "A Puzzle Named Alec", to represent the complex world of autism spectrum disorders, and to more completely tell the story of our journey with Alec. Alec is my son, and will soon be 9 years old. He will be getting an autism assistance/service dog from 4 Paws for Ability in Ohio at the end of March 2014. Just 3 short months away! This blog will allow me to share more of that story without posting every little thing on Facebook :) Thank you for having an interest in Alec's journey.



-Christina