Service dogs do wonders for the life of people with special needs. Some service dogs help military veterans suffering from PTSD, while others become guide dogs for the blind. For one family, it helped a child named Kai to deal with his severe autism.
Kai’s mom, Shanna Niehaus, was devastated when her son, Kai, was diagnosed with severe autism when they were living in Japan. Kai always had problems dealing with social situations and he refused to be touched. Kai is easily triggered and gets stressed when he’s touched and it can be quite stressful for Shanna as well.
Eventually, the Niehaus family returned to the United States and Shanna actively researched how service dogs can help Kai. Shanna and her family also reached out to an organization called 4 Paws For Ability to pair Kai with a service dog. After a long wait, Shanna was given the good news that a service dog named Tornado was paired with her son to help him cope with autism.
Shanna was nervous at first and wondered what the meeting would be like for Kai. She was expecting the worst. However, when the day came for Kai to meet Tornado, Shanna became so emotional when she saw how Kai reacted when he met Tornado. As soon as Tornado entered the room where Shanna and Kai were waiting, Kai immediately ran towards Tornado and hugged him.
For Shanna, it was the first time that she ever saw Kai act as he did with Tornado. Shanna broke down in tears as Kai was finally able to cope with his autism and help him live life like a normal kid. Tornado and Kai immediately bonded and Kai would even let Tornado lay down beside him. Shanna was speechless and was so happy that Kai finally had a friend to teach him how to socially interact.
It was an amazing day for Shanna and Kai. Shanna is so happy that 4 Paws For Ability was able to help her and her son with their needs to help Kai cope with autism. Here’s a heartwarming video showing the emotional moment when Kai met Tornado for the first time.
Video Source Inside Edition via YouTube
