Team Henry: Expectations versus reality

 

Our expectations

The Smart Pup would be trained to snuggle and comfort L when he becomes upset or distressed, which would help prevent L's emotional reaction from escalating into a meltdown.

The reality

Since May 2021, we haven’t had a full blown meltdown last longer than half an hour, Henry steps in and begins going through his paces as soon as he senses L's emotions  escalating.

There’s only been one occasion that Henry hasn’t known what to do, and that was when L was throwing a tantrum over not going what he wanted. Henry literally sat on the floor, looking at L as if to say “what the hecks is you doing??” But as soon as L escalated from tantrum to meltdown, Henry stepped in.

Within a month of being placed with us, Henry began to pick up on O’s anxiety. If Henry sensed that L was okay and O wasn’t, Henry would go to O and nuzzle her leg or do a lap lay or over.

The first few times this occurred, Henry would look to us for reassurance that it was okay to help O. Now he steps in and goes through his paces.