A USA family paid close to US$10,000 for an eleven month old Bouvier Des Flandres who was specially trained to help their five year old autistic child. <\/p>\n
Carter, a child who does not speak, was heard to say “wait” and “hold” to the Bouvier, Corbin.<\/p>\n
Before the family had the dog, the family had a problem getting Carter from the car to the park. But now walking with the dog, Carter goes to the park without a fight or throwing tandrums and swings on the park’s swingset.<\/p>\n
The problem now is that the child’s school is going to court to prevent the child from bringing the service dog to school. I have not seen the results of the court hearing as yet. <\/p>\n
The case was discussed on Fox news but the video recording of it which was embedded here was no longer available after September 12th<\/p>\n
Guess this is a real case of where the Bouvier Des Flandres was wanted for its character and not its looks. As the service dog’s coat is shaved, it really did not look like a Bouvier. <\/p>\n
I don’t know how the matter was settled in the law courts but I hope the school allowed the child to keep the dog, as bonding with the dog seemed to have very positive results for the autistic child.<\/p>\n
Bouviers are a multi purpose breed. In the past pulling milk carts in Holland and herding cattle. In today’s world, they are used for functions such as guarding, as guide dogs for the blind and therapy dogs.<\/p>\n
Here’s a link to a blog carrying a picture of the child and the Bouvier.<\/p>\n