Coco’s made a massive difference to our lives. She’s allowed us to be a family again

Aug 24, 2024

Peter and Coco

“Coco’s made a massive difference to our lives. She’s allowed us to be a family again.”

For families like Peter’s, a Dog for Autism can be life-changing. When we first met Peter, he wouldn’t make eye contact or talk to us. He had issues walking, would bang his head on the ground when he became frustrated and he struggled with speech. His family were isolated and their life was restricted, impacting not only his parents but his little brother.We chose Coco, a cavapoo, for Peter. Her size meant we could train her to jump up on Peter’s lap when she feels him becoming emotionally dysregulated.

A child that could not make eye contact with people would now talk to anyone about Coco. When his emotions became too much to handle, Coco would jump onto his lap to calm him down. Suddenly a child who struggled with day-to-day life became calmer and more confident.

We put a lot of work into integrating Coco into Peter’s school life, with his trainer working in school with them for many months.
“Before, Peter would sit at the back of class and not interact. And, he would have a meltdown over something simple, when he would be inconsolable. But now he’s completely different. He has achieved more this year than the last 7 years in school. Recently he had to give a speech in his English class and Coco was in the classroom with him, so he was able to do the speech with ease. Without Coco he wouldn’t have been able to do it. When we went to parents’ evening every teacher commented on the difference in Peter.”

What is really incredible – and shows the amazing journey Peter and his dog have taken – is that he appeared recently, live on national television, talking about Coco and how she helps him! This wouldn’t have happened without Coco – and Coco wouldn’t have happened without funding from people like you.

You can watch their interview here.