For Sarah Minardi-Giefert, taking care of her five-year-old autistic son, Kolby, was challenging before help arrived. That help was Archer, a Labrador cross/Golden Retriever autism support dog.

“Anytime we went anywhere there was a stroller involved,” says Sarah. Kolby’s dissatisfaction with anything would result in him going dead weight on the ground and Sarah would be unable to pick him up. Sometimes Kolby would take off so the stroller also kept him safe and secure. Unfortunately, autism is an

invisible disability and people misunderstand an autistic child’s unpredictable behaviour.
“There was no sense of understanding or compassion,” says Sarah. “When Archer is with us … there is such a different level of understanding when we are in public.”

Since getting Archer in July, the Minardi-Gieferts have be able to do a number of things other families take for granted including going to a restaurant and taking Kolby “trick or treating.”

The Autism Support Program at B.C. & Alberta Guide Dog Services is only three years old, says Bill Thornton, CEO and founder of the non-profit organization. To date, the program has graduated 18 autism support dog teams with its most recent graduate the Kolby/Archer team in Calgary.

“The strength of the autism program is the human animal bond,” says Bill. “The family now has the confidence to go out in public places where they are going to have a more predictable behaviour from the child,” he adds. “With the dog there, people around can see that this is a child with a disability, and therefore they are much more sympathetic when the child has a melt down in public.”

Unfortunately, the need for both autism support dogs and guide dogs for the visually impaired or blind, is greater than the number of dogs available. At any given time in the guide dog program there are about 35 people waiting to be matched with a dog.

On average, it takes two years to mold a service dog from adorable puppy to adult guide dog or autism support dog at a cost of $37,500 per graduate team (adult/child and dog) including annual after care.

All dogs come from the organization’s in-house breeding program, located in B.C. “We use a lot of Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and Labrador cross/Golden Retrievers,” says Bill. At about seven weeks of age the puppies are placed with volunteer “Puppy Raisers.”

“We feel that the puppy raisers are the cornerstone of the organization,” he says. “Without a regular supply of well-socialized, well-trained adult dogs to put into training, the training department would be dead in the water.”

Robert Funke is a Puppy Raiser located in Calgary. His companion is Nikko and for about 15 months the two are joined at the hip. “The puppy goes wherever I go,” says Robert. And he means everywhere — the grocery store, doctor’s appointment, restaurant or just for a walk.

After 15 months, the dogs return to B.C. for advanced training and the Puppy Raisers say goodbye. “You get really attached to them but then you realize why you’re doing it,” says Robert. “When Nikko goes I’ll cry like a baby.”

While in training the dogs live with a foster family. The instructors are called Guide Dog Mobility Instructors (GDMI). They spend about four to six months with the dogs doing guide dog or autism support dog specific training. While going through the training process, the dogs are assessed for which job they are better suited for — guide dog or autism support dog.

“The guide dog’s job is to guide the person around obstacles and hazards, making decisions and taking initiative. The handler is in control. An autism support dog’s job is all obedience based,” says Ashley Clark, GDMI. “The dogs will have a temperament or skill set that is better suited to one or the other, but it’s not always obvious right away.”

When there is about five to six weeks left in the training the GDMIs start the matching process. There are a number of factors to consider when matching up a dog to its handler or autistic child.

With respect to a guide dog and its handler, you look at things such as the size and build of the person, the natural walking speed of the person and dog, the environment the person lives in and the work load involved, explains Ashley. “When you add a child in the mix, the dog has to suit the family as well.”

Once the match is made, the GDMIs go through a two- to three-week team training process with the handler or autistic child and his family to work through routines and make sure everyone, including the dog, is comfortable and confident in their jobs.

Most people will wait two years to receive a guide dog or autism support dog, with the exception of replacement dogs. The mandatory retirement age of a service dog is 10 years old.

“Ours dogs have always been with people throughout their lives so we will not allow a dog to go into retirement and be isolated and at home alone,” says Bill. Retirement dogs are placed with a loving family, and in some cases they go back to their Puppy Raisers. “The dogs never forget their Puppy Raisers,” he says.

A couple of years ago, B.C. & Alberta Guide Dog Services, put in place a sponsorship program in an effort to reduce wait times for guide dogs and autism support dogs. “Reducing wait times is like a double-edged sword,” says Bill. “Yes, we are trying to reduce the number of people waiting but as we are more known, that raises the number of people who apply.”

With respect to autism support dogs, the organization currently has the capacity to place about eight dogs each year. “We would like to do more but it comes down to revenue,” says Bill.

The sponsorship program is a great way to raise money and get people involved. (see page 8 for details)

“Our goal is to net $1 million a year on puppy sponsorship,” says Bill. Last year, $190,000 was raised through the sponsorship program.