What My ShihTzu Dog Learned From My Autistic Son

When I was 12 years old, my Mom and Dad brought home an adorable ball of fur which turned out to be a Shih Tzu puppy. My mom named the puppy, Snuffy. Because that's what he did. He snuffled. I am not even sure what that means exactly, but that's what he did.

For about 2 years, everything was going along well. I was growing up, along side our pup, and was relatively happy, but for the usual problems teenagers have. Then, one day when I was about 15 years old, I went to pick Snuffy up to give him a snuggle and a hug. He bit me. I was stunned and shocked. After that it only got worse. While he was loving and affectionate most of the time, at certain times, he would growl and snap at us. We didn't figure out why for awhile.

It turned out that our neighbor's grandchildren had been beating my dog! We had a deck, which my Dad built with our neighbor's help. Snuffy was able to make his way around the side of the deck on his leash. He would end up facing the driveway of our neighbor's house. Apparently, since none us could see them doing it, these children decided to beat my dog with a stick. At least, that's the information that I have. But, things changed for Snuffy when my son was born in 1995.

In the summer of 1995, I returned home to live with my parents, bringing with me my newborn son, Matthew. Snuffy did NOT like my son at first. I can distinctly recall having to stop him from charging my son's playpen. He would growl and bark at Matt, even though my son was just a baby. Gradually, that changed.

As Matt got bigger, Snuffy would come up to us and would sniff Matt's foot. But, he wouldn't bite. He would watch him mostly. And Snuffy could always make Matt smile. But, then the most amazing thing happened. I can remember it like yesterday. It was Christmas Eve 1995. I was sitting in my room with Matt, and Snuffy came snuffling in. Matt was on his hands and knees trying to crawl toward me. Then...He CRAWLED. I swear the look of pure shock on Snuffy's little furry face was quite real. It's almost like he was coming to the realization that the KID was mobile. Oh NO!! I started hugging Snuffy and shouting "He can crawl! He can crawl!" Needless to say, I think Snuffy was not a happy pup. But, he learned to deal with it. And of course, once Matt could walk, Snuffy was resigned to the situation that the KID was mobile and there was nothing he could do about it.

After that, I began teaching Matt how to be gentle with Snuffy. How to pet him nicely, how to play nicely, etc. Gradually, as Matt got a little older, he and Snuffy became friends. The fact that Matthew was diagnosed with Autism when he was 3, changed very little about their relationship. Eventually, Matt started preschool. Snuffy began to notice Matt's absences and started going to the door to watch for him. And sure enough, when the little yellow school bus would pull up in front of the door, Snuffy's tail would start wagging like crazy. He was genuinely happy to see the KID.

Sadly, in August of 1998, Snuffy became very sick and had to be put down. He had just turned 13 years old. Matthew, being Autistic, did not notice Snuffy's absence for nearly 3 months. When he finally did, he asked me, "Where's Snuffy?" I simply told him that Snuffy was in Heaven now. Matthew accepted this rather easily, and even to this day still talks about that puppy.

Shih Tzus have a very long memory and seem to retain any trauma that they experience, much like children with Autism do. But, in this case, Snuffy eventually realized that not all kids are the same. They aren't all going to hurt him. He learned that from my son.

It has given me comfort to know that when Snuffy died, he died knowing that there was at least one KID in this world who would never, ever, do anything to hurt him.