A Successful Public Access Test For Kate and National Service Dog Oakley

Just this last week, our Kate (with the help of Mom and Dad) completed her third Public Access Test with NSD Oakley. While, of course, Kate would not be the primary handler she can made to feel like one and for that we are very grateful for the way this public access test played out.

Just like last time, we headed to our local grocery story because we spend enough time there, that both Kate and Oakley were comfortable in those surroundings. The employees and customers rarely give us a second look, unless it’s too admire the cutest little kid/service-dog combo from afar.

I won’t bore you with the details of the P.A.T, but just know that your boy NSD Oakley dominated that test, and his girl Kate felt like a superstar for showing off the skills that her best friend excels in.

Now, we often get questions about what Oakley can do for Miss Kate, now that she tends to stick around (oh, when she would bolt and wander, we were so terrified and being tethered to a ninety-pound beast was a great comfort). She would still leave if the mood should strike her. She’s still believes everyone is a friend so to be lured away or wander to something that sparks her interest is still a fear of ours. However, now, she’s grown so much and she uses Oakley for some different reasons beyond safety. Here are a few:

I’ll preface this next section with a reminder that if you don’t get this, it is not MY job to help you through it, but for the love of all things labrador retriever, I shall make the attempt anyway.

1. Deep Pressure: Sure you’ve heard of weighted blankets, and lap pads and even heavy work, but can you imagine the comfort a velvety soft retriever might provide. I like to think of it as settling a nervous system that refuses to settle itself. Self-regulation is tough but with the help of NSD Oakley, we’ve found meltdowns have almost completely disappeared. I do not mean comfort, as NSD Oakley is not an “emotional support dog” or a “therapy dog” though he would rock both those important positions if he had to. I mean the deep pressure that relieves a little body that feels everything so deeply and so strongly that it can be overwhelming at times.
2. Encouraging the Social Curriculum: While some fret over sight word lists and mental math facts, others want their children to learn ‘social thinking’ because school can be a cruel place for a child that doesn’t understand the unwritten playground rules or the hierarchy of a group of ‘mean girls’. For Kate, her uber-confidence will have you fooled into thinking she is just fine, but her ‘quirky side of normal’ behaviors combined with social thinking deficits are keeping her in danger of social pariahism. After all, the worst thing to be in school, is ‘a little different’. It’s those quirky kids that take the brunt of bullying, because the kids aren’t lining up to help them (for the glory of being a helper) unless their disability is clearly visible one. So the fact that NSD Oakley makes kids want to spend time with our Kate because she and he are so awesome together is a great perk indeed.
   
   3. Sweet, Sweet Sleep: Children with autism often seem to need less sleep than their counterparts; or at least their bodies refuse to settle down as quickly, as often and for as long as typical children. I don’t have to tell you that sleep is very important to an entire family. Oakley, puts Kate to sleep each night. He lays with her until she is fast asleep and then we direct him to his own bed in case he gets too hot. His presence has a calming effect that I cannot describe. If you met him, you already know.
   
   

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