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
This is a really individual thing so it's difficult to advise. Some autistic people really want friends but don't know how to go about it. Some autistic people just really aren't bothered about friends at all and prefer their own company.
I personally take a lot of comfort from animals and having animals always helped me. I was never able to have a dog but we always had rabbits and guinea pigs and just stroking them was very therapeutic for me. Bonus of a dog is it gets you out and about. For some autistic children a pet can be distressing though. The dog gets in their space.
How does your child interact with other people's pets? This can give a good indication of whether it would be good or not. I do know someone that got a dog for their autistic son but he really wasn't interested.
It may be worth looking at some pictures of pets with your son. You don't have to suggest you might get one as that would get his hopes up. Just show him the pictures and see how he reacts.