Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all. My son is 3. His dad left me a year and a half ago for another women so we went through a very rough time but we are all settled and happy in our new life and his dad is still involved having him on a Sunday and over night on a Saturday every 2 weeks. He has a half brother (his dads other son who is 12) and he seems to really enjoy his company and his dads girlfriend has a 5 year old daughter who he also seems to get a long with very well. In our home it’s just me and my son. We play together and go for long walks in the park etc but he just has me for company.
I've recently been advised that maybe getting him a dog would be a good idea. Service dogs are very hard to come by in our area so I’ve been looking into this myself (picking a dog with the right temperament and ensuring my boy bonds with the dog before we get him/her and getting him/her the best training).
Myself and my partner have no plans to have any children. I’m just worried he’s lonely and that another companion in the house might help him a bit with his a anxiety at bed time and also help to get him out a bit more.
Does anyone have any advice on this? Perhaps someone who got a pet to help their autistic child and is it worth it? It is certainly not something I’m rushing into. It’s a very big decision and requires a lot of thought but I’m just wondering if anyone has any experience with this.
Thank you
jen
We have a cat and a dog, my son tends to go to each for different things...
...the cat when he wants to be on his own and in his bedroom away from the world, I hear him talking to it and he gets an enormous amount of pleasure and comfort from him. The only trouble is the cat does go out the house so when I most need him to settle my son he is off catching a mouse.... so we got a dog!
...the dog for running around the garden with someone else, for playing with, for always being there to greet him back from school, if we let the dog (a dashound) upstairs I know he would talk to it in the same way as the cat and snuggle up in bed with it, I have seen him snuggle up to the dog in the kitchen and lounge when he is on his own. He gets an enormous sense of love from this little dog and a constant companion.
In my opinion having an animal is a wonderful thing as they will be a companion and a best friend for anyone. For my son we could not be without our animals as they are a lifeline to him and most definitely make him feel special and loved, he would never say he is lonely when he has his friend at his side or on his lap!
Best wishes