At appointment last week. They were happy for Rex to wonder in the room as we talked for over an hour but after 26mins of restlessness he was settled & so well behaved :) 

It all cost money

 Here is our fund raising link please check it out and even if you cant donate maybe share it around . Thank you 

www.youcaring.com%2Frextheassitancedog

English Pointer

Yes He is a pure bred dog ....

We often get asked what breed Rex is and many people do not know of English Pointers. Known in America just as Pointers. Some even asking if I mean he is one of those designer breeds - ENGLISH something cross with a GERMAN SHORTHAIR POINTER .

English Pointers  are part of the pointer family not very common in Australia like the German Shorthaired Pointer, there is also Italian Pointer, Portuguese Pointer, French Pointers, etc.

At maturity the English pointer is larger than a German shorthaired pointer. One big difference between these breeds is shedding -- the English pointer sheds only lightly, but the GSP is a moderate to heavy shedder

The exact origin of the Pointer is not entirely clear: whether they originate from Spanish Pointers or from Continental Pointers is uncertain. What is certain is that English Pointers date back to the 1600's, a native breed to the British Isles, being used to 'point' game out to hunters. These early dogs worked with Greyhounds in hare-coursing, the Pointers being used to point out hares for the Greyhounds to seize. In the early 1700's, wing shooting came into fashion and this was when their true skills became apparent. To this day, Pointers are exceptional hunting dogs.

The English Pointer was recognized by the AKC in 1884 and AKC approved in 1975.

The English Pointer Dog Breed has a personality and temperament that is energetic and sweet.  This breed requires plenty of socialization to develop its naturally even temperament, and they only require a minimal amount of training.

Horses of course

So what's on the list for this week? Horses of course
 
Rex meet his first horse😊 after a shy first reaction & a lot of cuddles from me he was sniffing a big hairy nose
After a few pats I let him down on the ground and the horse just didn't seem to care but yet wanted to jump around barking to try and make the horse play with him. 
Thanks to the ladies at Riding with the Disabled who kindly let their two horses come have a pat & meet Rex . 

  

Lot of weight on little furry shoulders

Do you know the different types of Service dogs aka Assistance dogs we have in Australia?
Well we do now. As a family with a young child with autism we have decided after many months of research, talking, meetings, learning and more talking to get an Assistance Dog for our son.

This means many choices were to be made. Like if we where going to pay the $30,000 to pay a 'ready made Assistance Dog' which is bred, trained and then with the organizations help induced to our family & our son.
or
Buy a dog of any age and train it at home with us. With the help of trainers, courses and classes as many or as little as we wanted.
We chose the 2nd , as we wanted a young dog not a dog from a recuse that we could not be sure about its past and any triggers or bad habits it may have which may harm our child or other animals in our home.
So here we are a week away from picking up our English Pointer pup .

As my research has taught me, its a hard long journey but with many rewards.
It costs a lot of money & time to owner train as they call it.
I understand now when people with disability's get so upset or offended when something happens or is said to degrade the importance of an Assistance Dog.

There Assistance dogs, Service dogs, Guide dogs, Hearing /vision dogs ALL are equal in the eyes of Australian Law. Even a dog in train to become any of the above has the same rights.

It is illegal to discriminate against or refuse entry to a person with an Assistance Dog and anyone who does so can be prosecuted. Any entry fee must not be charged to an animal that is an assistance animal.

This is our little boy and wow dose he have a big future ahead of him . k 

Book Week

How did everyone's BOOK WEEK go?
Here is my son who done better then last year dressed as a pirate. Its a different kind of emotional parent roller-coaster isn't it?
Will they want to dress up? Will they change their minds? or try to fight past the anxiety & overloaded sensory disorder because of peer expectations? Will the clothes feel comfortable or will the tags feel like razers on their skin?
As I said my son did well & even though we had to stand out of the play ground until the bell rang ( the play ground was too noisy full of excited kids ) he enjoyed himself he said later that day before the meltdown of screaming, crying, shaking and wanting all the noises in the world to STOP hurting him, happened that night .
But he was my little Pirate and he was part of his school Book Week that's what makes us smile :) k

Taking a breather

Here is my son feeding duck on the side of a river .
We had such a nice time just sitting, well I sat with a coffee and he run, jumped, walked, hopped, sat then ran again .
We had his big sister with us and it was a nice day out.
We took the short drive ( with his ipad for company in the back seat of course) to a small county town where the bird show was on.
Even though I prepared him for all the noise & people, holding his hand and having ear muffs on he was overloaded by about 20mins.
Which I think is good, he did so well and I told him so.
After that we went to a café & got take away then found this lovely park along a river.
Its here sitting watching him that I realised how much we all needed this today .
I have started my own business and have jumped into being a working mum of around 22 hours a week most being early mornings where I don't see my son until he gets home from school when his dad picks him up for us.
Its been a lot to handle for all of us but we are doing well .
                           I Just need to remember to make more days for in the park  :) k