For the little one James Isaac Nine years old, the world is a confusing and scary place, has autism, cannot speak and feels uncomfortable with human contact. But James is a lucky boy because he is not alone, as if it were his shadow Mahe accompanies him everywhere, he does not leave him alone for a moment.
Mahe is a very special dog, like the guide dogs for the blind, Mahe is trained to accompany children with this disorder, just as a guide dog reads the way he goes, these dogs are able to read the mood of your partner and serve as a support, as a point of attachment to this our reality. So for James it could be said that who has a friend has a treasure, even if he has four legs.
Mahe is what is called an assistant dog with special abilities to "help" his friend if necessary, they are animals capable of calming them when they are anxious, they do not know how to speak, but if they communicate and especially read the mood of His "humans."
Recently James had to be admitted to perform a series of tests to know better the origin of your seizures, Mahe was authorized to enter and remain with him as long as possible, something that, as you can see in the photos, he did perfectly, he did not separate from James's side at any time, except for the time when due to the type of test they did to little Mahe I could be with him.
He knows that James needs him, that he is his security zone, his small island in the noisy world around him, and there he was, without saying a single word but delivering a clear message to his friend "Calm down, I'm by your side"
Mahe's presence made it much easier to perform all the necessary tests on the child and that he could benefit from the safety of his friend. And it is me and I feel intimidated by some of the tests performed, I can not imagine how a child should feel and much less a child who sees the outside world in such a special way.
"He spent all his time watching James, sometimes with a worried face," says the boy's mother.
Mahe's presence has not only been invaluable help, but has been since he entered their lives two and a half years ago.
Mahe has been trained by the Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust to keep his friend calm when they go abroad which is one of the most difficult challenges James faces in his day-to-day life. .
There is real magic between dogs and children with autism, they simply manage to calm them down. boys are often able to maintain eye contact with their dogs and yet they are unable to do so with their parents or siblings, "says Wendy Isaacs who now also works for the clinic.
It is incredible the relationship and the link that certain animals can develop with us, and especially with those who still do not know much of what their world is like.
