Meet Cowboy

With four cats and two dogs already, the very last thing we need is a puppy.

But the thing Felix needs most is a service dog, especially as he faces transitions to high school and college in the next few years, so when we were approved to get an Autism service dog puppy for Felix, of course, we said yes. Meet Cowboy, an 11-week-old English cream retriever provided to us by the amazing folks at K9 Care Montana who provide service dogs to wounded veterans and children with Autism.

We met a young woman at the mall earlier this month with a service dog, so I struck up a conversation. It was also an English cream retriever and was her Autism service dog. She explained a few things the dog did for her, including being her constant companion to help improve social interactions and relationships, increasing her interest in activities, decreasing stress, applying pressure to calm her when she exhibited signs of a meltdown, and calming her when in a meltdown. “This dog changed my life completely,” she said as we said our goodbyes. “I can now live by myself and navigate the world in a different way.”

I’ll keep you posted on our progress with Cowboy. Four days in, we’ve achieved sleeping through the night and “sit.” Puppy training and bonding is our primary goal this first six months, and service dog training will begin after that.

I see the beginning of a beautiful partnership and a changed life.