Reaction To Special Needs Boys

[greytluck]

We had a large group of friends over for a BBQ yesterday. Last year we did the same thing and although I initially worried about Wally's reaction as he can be a bit standoffish of new people he did amazing. He was actually the ham of the party, running and playing for hours. We've had many friends over since and Wally has seemed to really enjoy the company so I thought it would be no different now. One of the couples that came over volunteers with special needs teenagers and since they had them over visiting their place for the weekend brought the two boys along with them. Both boys have autism, Matt is high functioning and Kyle is non verbal but both were very sweet and quiet.

 

Up until the point that the the boys arrived, Wally was hanging out with everyone in the backyard. People were throwing his ball for him and he was going around getting attention from everyone. Shortly after their arrival though I noticed he wasn't around anymore. At first I freaked out thinking someone had left the gate open and he had escaped but Corinna was still around and believe me she would be the first one to go out of the two. I went searching for him and found him shaking in the basement (his safe place in storms and fireworks). No amount of convincing on my part could make him come back upstairs. Fine, I left him there and figured the party must have become to much for him. But When my friends and the two boys left relatively early in the evening Wally came back up and joined everyone outside again. I know the boys didn't do anything to him as they were mainly sitting around and never once did I see them make any attempt to go up to the dogs. I really wonder why he had such a strong reaction to their presence?

 

On the flip side, Corinna was all over both boys the entire time they were over. She particularly took an interest in Kyle who was non verbal. She had her head on his lap and although he wasn't petting her she just stood that way for a long time. At a few points I caught her licking his hands. I was pretty amazed by her behavior but my friend said most dogs he encounters have the same reaction to him. As she put it "Kyle likes dogs, dogs like Kyle"

 

I found both dogs reactions very interesting.

[o_rooly]

Maybe the boys came from a place that carried a scent that had a negative connection in Wally's mind? Poor guy.

 

I love hearing about your hounds. They sound fabulous (aside from Aston, of course! :wink) :wub:

[EllenEveBaz]

That is interesting that the two of them would have such different reactions to whatever it was that bothered Wally.

[GeorgeofNE]

That's interesting.

 

My father's dog never left his side once he had one of his eyes removed. And once he got REALLY senile, his other dog started to hide from him. It was heartbreaking.

[greysmom]

Interesting. Though not entirely unexpected perhaps. Wally has always been a little shy and unsure, and Corinna has always been outgoing and friendly. So when confronted by a human they can both sense are "different" they had typical reactions for themselves.

 

When my Grandmother was towards the end of her life and living in a nursing care facility I often took my two greys (at the time) to visit her. Libby was the star of the whole place - always going right up to anyone, in walkers or wheelchairs, with stuff dangling al over, people with dementia, people acting inappropriately ( ). She just loved to meet people. When I would take Dude, especially by himself, he would avoid most of the dementia and alzheimer's patients, and many of the ones who were quite sick. The "normal" old people he loved, and didn't avoid at all. Dude likes people in general, but he does discriminate.

[Batmom]

Could be scent, could be difference in movement. My Zema was sensitive to both of those things and would sometimes be terrified of people she already knew and liked if they were in a different scent status (e.g., just showered & cologned) than normal (e.g., sweaty & in jogging clothes).