The Power of Social Media

Sniper hiding like snipers do - Sept 2015

In the past four months since learning of Sniper's Autism, I have had this feeling that I didn't really have a real grasp on everything like what to expect, watch for and what to know.  I sat down at the computer  and out of desperation did a search on YouTube for any videos I could find on Autistic Dogs.  Looking through the hundreds of videos of service dogs with Autistic Children I found one video of a training session with an Autistic dog.  Clicking on that video opened a giant door to a network of people I was looking for.

On the page for the video there was a Facebook link to click on.  Low and behold it was a page called Dogs with Autism Characteristics ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/517051411687595/ ).  I was so excited to have a group of people to ask questions to and learn from their journeys in the hopes of making Sniper's journey better.  The first person I talked to was Michelle and bless her heart she took two hours out of her day to chat with me over the messaging service and answer my questions.  The information I gleaned that day gave me so much relief and answered so many questions that were bouncing around in my head.  I thanked Michelle the best I could but she will never truly know how much she helped me that day.

What exactly did she tell me that was so profound?
1.  Rosemary in food or treats is a neuro-stimulant and increases many autistic behaviours.
     Luckily the food I was feeding did not contain any Rosemary but a quick look at the treats I was feeding and there it was.  No more treats with Rosemary.
2.  For working dogs they need a week of dark time both before and after events.
     While I understand the principle behind this and can appreciate the need for it, in the day to day of our lives this just isn't possible for Sniper but we do the best we can.
3.  When Sniper has a panic attack I need to ensure he is safe but not insist on the same level of rational behaviour I expect from my other dogs.  If I attempt to chase him a flight response may occur and if I try to grab him in an attempt to contain him it will likely make things worse.  If he chooses to hide just let him be.
      Wow!  Where was this advice back in the beginning of September?  The whole scary scene is 100% clearer now.  It also explains the panic attack at 6 months old when he ran away, pure flight response.
4.  If Sniper chooses to remove himself to a dark room in the house he is doing this because he needs to, respect his boundaries.
     Every evening when we get home from work, Sniper eats his dinner and goes to his crate in the bedroom away from the family.  I felt bad for him and thought he didn't like us or didn't feel safe in the house.  Now I understand what he was doing and I think how smart he was for figuring that out.
5.  The feeling of wind in their hair is euphoria and provides a calming feeling to them.
     The sight of Sniper running as fast as he can  and as long as he can when playing fetch makes perfect sense.  The windier the day the better for him.  It also explains why he loves dock diving so much.
6.  Routine is key, try not to change anything that provides structure and stability for him.
     Another light bulb moment.  I couldn't change vehicles we traveled in, crates he used or the bedding without Sniper looking like the throws of a panic attack starting.  I am also a compulsive furniture re-arranger, not anymore.  The look on Sniper's face when I re-arrange the furniture is priceless but one of definite confusion and it upsets the whole balance in his life.

From these six statements alone, the light bulb went off and I suddenly had a true look into my dog.  I finally was starting to understand him.

Finding Answers and Trying Something New

When I arrived at work the day of Sniper's meltdown, the first thing on my list of things to do was to get in touch with Dr. Jodie and see what other resources I had.

A quick text message off to Dr. Jodie and she said it sounded like a panic attack.  So seeing as we were choosing to handle sniper "unconventionally" which meant no pharmaceutical medications, she suggested trying CBD (Cannabidiol) which is part of the marijuana plant.  It contains no TSH and would serve a medical purpose to help with his panic attacks.  I was totally responsive to the idea and now I had to figure out where to get it in Canada.  

My search lead me to an awesome company called Canna Companion (www.cannaforpets.com).   With a veterinary prescription I could get product for Sniper and they could ship it to me.  The would also copy any information required to Dr. Jodie for her files.  Fantastic. The website was very informative and the veterinarian I spoke with answered all my questions and even gave me further information that she felt applied to my situation.  Now I just had to wait for the product to arrive.

While we were competing in Calgary at Ultimate Air Dogs, Dr. Jodie sent me to meet Daphne of Daphne's Healing Hands (https://www.facebook.com/DHHCrystalCreations/?fref=ts).  Dr. Jodie was working on Sniper doing some cranial sacral treatments and animal communication prior to June.  In June, she had an accident which kept her from working, which also meant no treatments for Sniper.  She did her best to help us navigate our learning curve but she knew Sniper needed some more energy work. Cue the meeting with Daphne at Spruce Meadows where Daphne had a booth.  Oddly enough I met her in Calgary but we both lived in Edmonton.  Yippee!  We spoke throughout the weekend and Daphne did some work on Slice as Sniper was way too keyed up with the dock diving to be in for too much of anything.  Slice loved her which was all the approval I needed.

Daphne and I came up with a plan for when we got back to Edmonton and set up an appointment.  I was super excited to carry on with where we left off with Dr. Jodie.

A Weekend of Working

The day after our catastophic day on September 3, 2015, my good friend, Terry Simons, arrived in Edmonton from California to teach a seminar for me.  Uncle Terry, as my dogs know him, means there is agility and good times in store.  Terry is also the reason I have Tollers and he and his wife own a brother to Sniper.

Terry knew of Sniper's diagnosis before he arrived and he had been helping me with some advice from his experience teaching a dog with autism.  When I picked him up from the airport, he noticed the bites on my hand and asked if it happened with a dog at work.  That launched the conversation about what happened and he could clearly tell how upset I was for Sniper.

When we got to the house, I unload the dogs from the car and their is a Uncle Terry reunion in the backyard.  All four dogs are super excited to see Terry including Sniper.  Sniper and Terry have only seen each other a couple of times but there was no doubt that Sniper remembered him and categorized him as one of his "people".  When you are one the "Accepted People" list Sniper throws himself up into your arms whether you are ready to catch him or not.  It his how he expresses his happiness and pure joy.  Sniper stuck to Terry like glue and they shared many quiet moments over the weekend.  A closeness that very few get to experience with Sniper.  He knew he could trust Terry and gave himself over to that place.

Terry wasn't just in town for a visit he was there to teach a three day agility seminar.  I have worked with Terry for seven years and call him my "coach" when it comes to all things agility.  Now that Sniper was old enough for a seminar and doing all the equipment I was super excited for the weekend.  Fingers crossed that the episode the couple days before did not have a lasting effect for the weekend.

Sniper was brilliant at the seminar!  We were outside in the rain but he did not care one bit.  As expected, we came across a few hurdles where we had to stop and reset his brain on a couple of sequences.  This is all a part of our learning process developing our team work.  Finding the key to unlock his vault.

For as brilliant as he was during the day, when we got back home Sniper was quiet and withdrawn and seeking out new places to "hide" in the house where he could be quiet.  For the most part, he chose to sleep in Terry's room where it was dark and quiet.

All in all he seemed to cope okay after his panic attack.