Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm looking for some help and some comfort. I have two beautiful loving Sibes (brother and sister). They have been my husband's and my babies for six years. I also have a three year old who is autistic, and as of this last year has been having trouble with my dogs (who are soooo gentle and patient with him!!!) When he was a baby he used to play with them and love to be licked, but now he screams when they approach him - he doesn't show violence towards them (I haven't been letting them get too close lately.) My dogs love to be exercised. I used to run them a few miles a day with my son in the jog stroller. Now my son won't ride in a stroller. The only time I have to run them is on the weekend when my husband is home. It is devastating enough to learn to accept, cope with, and treat the disability of my child. But I am also grieving for my dogs. They have taken a back seat this past year - a way back seat! It has been recommended by our son's neurologist that we find a better home for the dogs but that is proving to be a daunting task. How do you get lucky enough to find a loving home that is wanting two 6 yr. old high maintenance Sibes? I won't split them up. I don't want them to go into rescue b/c I want the guarantee that they will be placed together. Does anyone have any advice?

>>I'm looking for some help and some comfort. I have two beautiful loving Sibes (brother and sister). They have been my husband's and my babies for six years. I also have a three year old who is autistic, and as of this last year has been having trouble with my dogs (who are soooo gentle and patient with him!!!) When he was a baby he used to play with them and love to be licked, but now he screams when they approach him - he doesn't show violence towards them (I haven't been letting them get too close lately.) My dogs love to be exercised. I used to run them a few miles a day with my son in the jog stroller. Now my son won't ride in a stroller. The only time I have to run them is on the weekend when my husband is home. It is devastating enough to learn to accept, cope with, and treat the disability of my child. But I am also grieving for my dogs. They have taken a back seat this past year - a way back seat! It has been recommended by our son's neurologist that we find a better home for the dogs but that is proving to be a daunting task. How do you get lucky enough to find a loving home that is wanting two 6 yr. old high maintenance Sibes? I won't split them up. I don't want them to go into rescue b/c I want the guarantee that they will be placed together. Does anyone have any advice?

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If both homes are good ones, dogs adapt very well to be separated. I have an article on Two Puppies or One? and one on Re-Homing a Dog that may help, at the link below my signature. If these dogs came from a good breeder, that breeder wants to know of this problem and to be place the dogs herself so that she can be there for them if they ever need her again. That doesn't happen if they are passed on without her being told. See the articles on Behavior Specialists and Dog Trainers, too. Perhaps there is a way to change how the dogs are managed and to add some training. It is never too late for that, certainly not at age 6. It can work better if you place the rowdiest of the two dogs in another good home and keep just one. People think dogs can't make this adjustment, but it's very common for the dogs to blossom. Dogs are much more adaptable than people realize, and sometimes a chance we think would be negative turns out to be very good for the dog.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

You can go to sleddogcentral.com, go to the mentor section on the left, and call one in your area, you can ask them if they know of anyone looking to add to their team, there are always novice runners who are looking for starter dogs. Or you could place an add in the classsifieds there. Have you contacted their breeder, because they usually want the dogs back if you can no longer take care of them. Good Luck!!

I'm sure you've exhausted all your options as far as various times you might be able to take them running..

Do you have any assistance with your son from a local autism help group? I do some work with such a group where I live and we specialize in children. There are people within the organization with the training and skills to help your son develop his relationship with the dogs. Many autistic children go through phases of fear of certain things that will suddenly disappear one day. Also some autistic children, when given a little guidance from someone experienced in working with them, develop a connection with family pets that they're incapable of finding with other people..

If you haven't already looked into it, it might be worth doing a search for various resources you might have access to. Here in Canada special assistance programs like that are covered by our health plans so it's free to the family.. I'm not sure how that works in the US..

It would just really be a shame to re-home your beloved dogs only to find that your son's fear disappears soon after..