Oh this pup... we learned yesterday that Duke is mostly GSD but has some Husky in him... explains a LOT!! His strength is incredible to be so small, he's nearly pulled me to the ground when he sees a squirrel... the best news yesterday was when #DogWish.org said that Duke was a good pup & they would certainly be able to train him as Sasha's #ServiceDog Our expected time to get little guy back is late March'ish. I've been asked a ton "why get a service dog if Sasha is 'high functioning'"? Dogwish.org explains why these special trained pups are so impactful to children with #Autism and #Aspergers no matter what the functioning level is. The pup is trained specifically for your child's needs to read the child's energies. The pup uses hand commands instead of verbal commands which is SO important bc many of "our" kids either can't speak, have limited language, or if they are verbal they will always struggle with finding the right words to express their needs. I'm not 100% confident that Sasha will continue to progress into an independent adult one day. When we received his diagnosis I wrote a letter to myself and sealed it up. It was my commitment as a mother to give this child every opportunity to grow, learn, and excel no matter what the conditions of our lives were or no matter what the cost. It will be provided for him. It also said this sweet boy may depend on me for the rest of his life but I was promising to do my best to help he be as independent as possible even if that meant living at home forever & holding down a simple job as sweeping the floors at a grocery store... that was fine by me. I never imagined that Sasha would be where he is today, I'm so proud of him! I pray that this pup gives him confidence, security, safety, and friendship to make his life easier... especially as we enter the pre-teen middle school age years, some of the hardest years for Sasha will be the next few... Duke will get him through it!