JP, a Labrador retriever puppy, stopped calmly over a storm-grate in the middle of a Bronxville street on a recent afternoon, unfazed by the strange surface that might throw off other dogs. JP will need that cool under pressure when he becomes a service dog for a child with autism.
He is one of 10 puppies who may hold the key to the future security and happiness of families with children with autism in Westchester and Rockland counties, and across the region.
Volunteers are raising the puppies – nine Labrador retrievers and one golden retriever – in homes throughout the area.
…Once matured, the dogs can prevent autistic children from wandering off, which parents say is the difference between families living life or becoming virtual shut-ins…
In her Bronxville home, Pat Carforo, the volunteer raising JP until he’s about 1 1/2 years old, fastened a BluePath vest onto him. Carforo walks him frequently and seeks out distractions – sirens wailing, a police officer’s radio, gawking school children – to get J.C. to the point where they no longer grab his attention. One result, she said, is he’s the dog about town.
“I’'ll go for a walk and 'JP! JP! – everybody knows you – you’re like a rock star,” Carforo said of the 4 1/2-month-old.
BluePath started in December…
…BluePath’s leadership is mostly from Westchester County, while its offices are in Hopewell Junction. A BluePath service dog costs about $13,000, but BluePath will assist families in fundraising efforts, Brier said.
BluePath’s mission for the moment is to raise and train the puppies and to raise money. On May 20, BluePath will hold its first annual walk-a-thon fundraiser …in Yorktown…
The nonprofit draws its name from the blue vests that autism service dogs tend to wear, [said Michelle Brier, vice-president of marketing and development at BluePath.]. She said the reason BluePath picked Labrador and golden retrievers is they tend to be highly trainable, motivated and adaptable.
“They have the temperament we look for,” she said.
A volunteer takes in a puppy that’s perhaps 8 weeks old.
“During that time, they (teach) the dog how to have good behavior in the house; they teach obedience skills – some are more related to the type of work that they’ll do later on,” Brier said.
After the dogs turn 16 to 18 months old, the volunteers turn them over to BluePath’s training staff.
“It’s at that point that the dog learns the very, very special skills that he or she will need to know in order to work for child,” Brier said.
BluePath does not at this point have a kennel facility, but the training is largely about taking the dogs out into the world until they master the skills needed for the role with a family.
An important one is “anchoring,” where a service dog can keep a child from wandering or bolting. A dog usually wears a leash for a parent to hold and a tether for a child to hold. Brier said different dogs anchor differently. One may lock all four feet, while another dog may lie down and still another may sit.
“These wandering behaviors are incredibly frightening for parents,” Brier said.
A parent might naturally express panic toward a child, which can increase the anxiety in a situation.
But a service dog’s anchoring position is “such an emotionless response” that calms things down, Brier said.
Children with autism are also severely bothered by sensory issues – a loud noise or a texture, for instance.
“One of the things that the dogs often do is just gently rest their head on a child’s leg or against the child’s side – and that can so greatly reduce anxiety,” Brier said. “It’s a pretty amazing benefit of the dog.”
Because many of the dogs will accompany the children at schools, BluePath will help get the dogs acquainted with a given school and teach faculty what they need to know.
…In Bronxville, JP’s puppy feet made calm work of some of the village’s storybook downtown. Brier said he’s ahead of the curve for his age.
Carforo, who retired as an Ossining special-education teacher, said one of her students had a service dog. Over the years, the trainer would come into the classroom with a dog or dogs to show students. She decided she wanted to raise service dogs…
