Two families in eastern Ontario have welcomed some very special four-legged friends into their homes, ones whose job is to help their children who live with autism.
For four decades, Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind (CGDB) has provided guide and mobility assistance dogs across the country.
But in recent years, the requests for autism service dogs has grown.
“Then we thought in 2025, why not give it a try … and see how many people would really would like us to assist [them],” said Msindisi Bunguza, an instructor with the CGDB.
Bunguza said while each dog gets basic obedience training, the specific training for autism support dogs is different because they need to work with children, many of them very young.
Some autistic children, he said, may not understand what’s too rough when it comes to handling the dogs.
“So our dogs need to be pulled slightly, and then they get used to that. [And] when they get to experience it in the future, for them, it’s like it’s the norm.”
That means Bunguza gets on the floor with the dog and acts as if he is the child, pulling and climbing on the dog.
The dogs are also trained to help children regulate their emotions, he said, by placing their paws, head or even their entire body on the child when they’re feeling overwhelmed.
That training has paid off for the Beall family in Pembroke, Ont., who received Fred, their yellow Labrador, in November.
Fred helps support the family’s four-year-old daughter Norah.
“When it comes to autism services, at least in Ontario, you’re limited in what you can access,” said Norah’s mother Lindsay.
“So you really want to take advantage of the things that you can access, and this was one of those things that we could do in this moment.”
One of Fred’s biggest jobs is to prevent Norah from running off, something she’s prone to do. When they go out, Lindsay Beall acts as his handler and he’s attached to Norah at the waist.
“I think in the couple of weeks we’ve had him, we’ve gotten out and done more in the community than we probably have all year, just because it’s made it so easy,” Beall said.
That’s included simple activities like going to the grocery store and to community events, which has been good for the whole family.
“[Norah] has an older brother, and so it allows him to go out and participate in things cause we’re not so much worried about accommodating her needs in those environments,” Beall said.
Fred also helps Norah sleep by going to bed with her, and has been assisting her with emotional regulation.
Beall said she also sees how having Fred around can help with Norah’s social development.
“It provides her with opportunities to build some connections with people, you know. It helps her to engage because people are engaging with her… they’re interested in what’s going on, and what his job is — and that gives her opportunities to talk with people.”
The second dog went to a family in Rockland, Ont., and CGDB says it plans to keep developing the program with more placements planned for the upcoming year.
For now, watching the process with the families gives Bunduza a sense of pride.
“When you see all these small changes when the parents share with you, that is what keeps us going,” he said.
