Assistance Dog, Meet Yonder

For those not following us over on our  Facebook group I wanted to give a quick update and share our latest addition. Back in November we welcomed this sweet guy to our family.  Yonder is a certified skilled companion dog(assistance dog) who has been amazing for Junior.   Though this post ,over on Junior's regular blog, was written just a week after he joined our family it shares a great deal about what he does and how he has impacted Junior's life.

 

 An assistance dog may not fall under adaptions but he has certainly benefited Junior and changed his life so we wanted to share about him here.  He is a very smart dog who came to us trained in a multitude of commands but for Junior these skills are only a small piece.  Yonder is his bridge to the world, he helps others see past all the medical stuff and the chair and instead see the young man that uses the chair.  We still get the stares but now they are almost always accompanied by a smile, "hello", "cool dog"," whats your name","I like your dog, "whats your dog do", etc.  He is not the disabled boy in the chair he is the boy with the cool dog.  Yonder also knows when Junior is getting stressed out, he helps him calm down and helps him handle things like doctors appointments without going into a panic.  At a recent medical test Junior started to stress and Yonder put his paws up on the edge of the bed and licked Junior's cheek to let him know he was there.  He then laid back down beside the bed so they could finish the test and Junior was able to stay calm.
We have rain here right now and weather changes are hard on Junior, Yonder jumped on his bed and gave him a "hug" when he was having a hard time and Junior was quickly smiling again. 
(these pics are from the past several weeks but a little sample of how Yonder helps Junior stay calm)

 

 

 

 

 

   With Yonder helping Junior stay calmer it means Junior is able to do more.  He has more energy because he is not so stressed and that in turn means he doesn't need as much oxygen. 

With Junior's health issues he often is unable to go out for long periods of time. Yonder is his constant buddy, always ready to hang out with him, watch tv, play a game, help with a craft, etc.
Movie time 

 enjoying a walk and stopping to watch the geese

   

Decorating the tree back at Christmas

  

Helping Junior roll the ball down the ramp. 

  

Also helping him with daily activity like taking off his socks, one of Yonders favorite things to do and now he not only takes them off but has learned to take them to the laundry.  

We joke that he is our laundry dog because he also loves taking folded laundry to the closet for us. Yonder loves to work and especially loves helping Junior when we are out in public.  For example at a recent walk to Hobby Lobby(yes we have a Hobby Lobby in walking distance which can be quite dangerous but is great for morning walks since it is very empty then,low germ risk), Junior found something he wanted to get with some Christmas money.  Yonder got it for him and put it in his lap, then gave it to the cashier, then got the bag from the cashier and put it in Junior's lap. He was able to be Junior's hands and make him feel some independence, I had one very proud boy who grinned the whole time.   

If  you are considering an assistance dog for you or your child be sure to look into Canine Companions for Independence.