Shea Yaeger & Autism Assist Dog Kylie
Having a child with autism “really makes your world small,” Carmen Gretton says. She remembers the days when she couldn’t bring her son, nine-year-old Shea Yaeger, grocery shopping or even for a walk to the park.
“Even surrounded by people, Shea is not safe,” Carmen says.
Shea does not understand danger and is quick to bolt away. Nonverbal, he does not answer when someone calls and is incapable of telling anyone his name. Just last year he disappeared from the family’s yard when a visitor left the gate open and was found an hour later at the park.
Shea’s autism prevents him from coping with the sensory stimuli of the outside world. He becomes overwhelmed and this causes him to run or have a meltdown—common behaviors for children with autism. But life is different now that Kylie, a two-year-old black Labrador retriever, has joined the St. Michael, Minn., family.
“Having Kylie is letting us do more things together as a family,” Carmen says.
In public, Shea wears a specially designed belt that connects to Kylie’s vest, and an adult handles Kylie’s leash. Kylie provides reassurance and Shea has become less likely to become overstimulated, meltdown or run. When the family went to an attraction at Wisconsin Dells in June, “I could keep track of Shea, and because he was tethered, also pay attention to what the other kids were doing,” Carmen says.
In the past at public functions like family reunions, Carmen either needed to remain completely focused on Shea during the outing or stay at home with him. But over the summer they attended the family reunion together and—with Kylie’s help—Carmen was able to be with her family and enjoy herself.
At home, the family sees Kylie helping Shea with another huge problem—transitions from one activity to another. Shea tends to become overwhelmed with the prospect of something new. But with Kylie as the constant in most situations, Shea is able to more easily move onto the next situation. Just this June, Kylie helped Shea smoothly make the transition from the school year to summer vacation.
To all the volunteers and donors who helped make Kylie a reality, Shea’s family is grateful.
“We appreciate it. This is something we could never have done in terms of affordability,” says Carmen, who gave up her previous job to care for her child.
Thanks to Kylie, the world is wider, not just for Shea, but for his entire family.
Thank you to all those who made this partnership possible:
Puppy Raiser: The Nelson Family
Breeder Host and Whelping Home: The Merkel Family
Prisons: Inmate Handlers at the Federal Correctional Facility at Waseca
All Prison Furlough Families
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