Service Dog Keeps The Nightmares Away From His Little Boy

They say dogs are man’s best friend, but nobody proves that more true than Lego, the service dog charged with protecting young Tupper Dunlop from nightmares.

Ever since Tupper was an infant, his parents noticed something wasn’t quite right. Not only did he have trouble making eye contact or responding to his name, he also struggled to sleep through the night. A few hours a night was all the sleep his parents could stretch out of him and it took a toll on them both. Tupper only slept in 45 minute stretches, and he would rarely sleep more than 3-6 hours a night. He would toss and turn repeatedly, sometimes suffering from awful nightmares. It wasn’t until shortly after his second birthday that Tupper was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

“As parents, having a child who didn’t sleep or slept very minimally, it was physically and emotionally draining,” Tupper’s mother, Nancy Dunlop told CBS News. “Having a child cry, scream or appear to be in some form of discomfort, pain or stress, who can’t tell you what is wrong is very difficult. You feel very helpless, not knowing what to do to help your child.”

Last year, Tupper parents made a decision that changed all their lives. They decided to get a service dog specifically for those who suffer from autistic disorders and a two-and-a-half-year-old Labrador, named Lego joined the family.

Since Lego joined the family, Tupper has become calmer and much more verbal. He can now go to the mall, the grocery store and on family walks without having to be carried or buckled into a stroller.

“We used to have to fight with him constantly to hold our hands,” explains Dunlop of her son. “Now, he is most often willing to hold the handle on Lego’s vest and walk with us.”

As far as the bedtime issues; they’re almost completely gone. Lego curls up with Tupper near his pillows every night before bed, cuddling him tightly and keeping the nightmares away. Before, it took Tupper’s parents an hour or two to put him to bed. Now, it only takes between fifteen minutes and a half hour.

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[Featured Image: Nancy Dunlop]

Service Dog Keeps The Nightmares Away From His Little Boy is an article from: LifeDaily