The Citizen, 2017-09-21, Page 25THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017. PAGE 25.
Service dog makes difference for Jeffersons
A new life
Robert Jefferson and Guinness are quite a team now after
being matched up through the National Service Dog
system. Guinness has helped Jefferson through many
scenarios that used to trouble him as a result of his autism.
The Jeffersons say that the service dog, which was paid for
in part by local service clubs and fundraisers. (Denny Scott
photo)
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Robert Jefferson and his family
want the community to know that
Guinness, the service dog provided
to them by National Service Dogs,
has made a world of difference in
their lives.
The Jefferson family lives in
Wingham, and, several years ago,
learned that Robert, now nine years
old, was diagnosed with Pervasive
Developmental Disorder not
otherwise specified (PPD NOS), one
of the four autism spectrum
disorders.
Robert's mother Marian explained
that, when he was uncomfortable, he
would run from a situation. She said
it proved to be very stressful for the
family when they were away from
home.
A friend of hers who is an
educational assistant at a local high
school, explained that, during a
professional development day
program, she met a boy who was
also on the autism spectrum and who
had a therapy dog.
"She said the therapy was
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wonderful for the boy," Marian said.
"With her guidance, I took it upon
myself to get in touch with National
Service Dogs."
Marian said the application
process was no simple task,
including 15 pages of information to
be filled out covering two weeks of
Robert's regular activities.
It took nearly three years for
Robert to be matched up with
Guinness, a process that included
interviews and, eventually, a chance
for Robert to interact with a dog.
Last year, on the weekend of
Mother's Day Marian, alongside her
husband Craig, attended a team
training activity to meet Guinness.
"We worked with seven dogs at
first, but, by the second day, we were
paired with Guinness," she said.
"When we brought Guinness home,
they hit it off okay, but it takes
awhile for those bonds to form."
The process to train the dog
doesn't stop when the family is
paired up, Marian explained, saying
that there are follow-up interviews to
make sure Robert and his family are
training Guinness, a part -Pyrenees,
part -Lab, to be the dog Robert needs.
"Guinness is trained to detect
anxiety but it takes awhile before he
will be able to sense it in Robert,"
she said. "The dog has made a world
of difference, however. Robert
usually leaves situations he doesn't
like, but now he can just sit still in
quiet places with Guinness."
Part of what makes Guinness such
a good fit for Robert is that the dog
is primarily under Robert's care.
"Robert watches Guinness and it
gives him something to focus on,"
Marian said. "It helps a lot"
She said the change isn't just in
Robert's world, but the family is now
able to attend events and not face as
much stress.
"We don't come home as drained,"
she said. "It's been a significant,
positive change."
She said that, in the year
that the dog has been with the
family, she has seen positive
changes in Robert as well as some
growth in Guinness, pointing to
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visits to the doctor as an example.
"Guinness has shown some
initiative," she said. "When he is
there to help at the doctor's office, [a
situation in which] Robert has
always felt nervous... he senses that
and keeps Robert calm."
Currently the family, which
includes Robert's sister Lydia and
brother Lincoln, is working on
getting Guinness to Maitland River
Elementary School with Robert,
which requires some additional
training.
The biggest challenge to having
Guinness at the school is education,
Marian said. Service dogs shouldn't
be petted or given treats by anyone
except their owners and trainers,
especially when they are on duty.
"We have to explain to everyone
that this is a look -but -don't -touch
situation," she said.
Following that training, the family
will be reviewed in a year, and then
again every three years by the
National Service Dogs organization.
Having the dog out in the public is
important, Marian said, for several
reasons, including letting the
community know what a significant
change they have made in the
family's lives.
A dog like Guinness costs
$30,000, Marian explained, however
the family wasn't expected to pay
any of it up front.
"It's more of a pay -it -forward
system," she said. "Once you're
approved, you get the dog, but
you're encouraged to fundraise to
help the organization."
The Jefferson family set a goal of
raising the $30,000 and was
eventually able to surpass that goal.
"The community helped with
events like soup lunches and a
walkathon," she said, adding that
one of the earliest events was titled
"A Boy and His Dog", a moniker the
entire fundraising effort adopted.
She said she was pleasantly
shocked by the outpouring of
support and said both she and her
husband Craig want everyone to
know how much it meant to them.
"We thought that friends and
family would help, but the
community support has been
overwhelming," she said. "We didn't
know the community knew us or
would be that helpful"
She said service groups from
Wingham, Auburn, Lucknow and
other surrounding communities,
supported the initiative, which
included a family fun day, selling
cookbooks and an Oktoberfest event
last year at the Knights of Columbus
Centre in Wingham.
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