Pets can be a real blessing for an Aspie. If you find the right pet, the bond that can form between it and the Aspie (or most people with PDDs) can be exceptionally strong. My wife and I have noticed that I have a special way, or gift, with animals. Our cats and I seem to understand and trust one another more that anyone else. Perhaps it is that we are both just plain honest with each other, or maybe the unconditional love. Who knows? I just know it does. In any event, the right pet can really help someone with Autism more than you would probably believe. Sometimes when the world was just too much and I was overloading, just being able to sit quietly with my German Shepherd, Shadow's, head on my lap did me a world of good.

There is a down side though: pets do die and Shadow's death, from a very fast cancer, got him when he was 9. It hit me like a ton of bricks; it was like losing my son, and it still hurts. If I'd known the loss was going to be this bad, would I have changed my mind and not gotten Shadow? Of course not! The depth of my grief is in proportion to the vast amount of joy and companionship Shadow gave me. Especially before I met my wife, having Shadow there to celebrate my successes and help me live with my failures, just having someone who was happy to see me when I came home, was a great comfort. In a large way, Shadow helped keep me sane when I was all alone and the world was beating on me pretty badly.

A couple of pictures of Shadow playing, at my grandfathers farm. Click on them to get the full size color pictures.

Finding a good pet can be tough. We have been looking for a new dog for two years. The people who breed German Shepherd Dogs for show have nearly ruined the breed and I suspect that it is similar for most purebred dogs. The mixed breeds can be a good way to go, as they can be healthier; but you also don't know what you are getting for size and personality.

Anote about 'AKC' or American Kennel Club papers. They mean little, just that the parents are pure blood dogs. It is not a guarantee of health or personality or anything else.

I am sorry if this page is a bit 'dog-centric' but I am more of a dog person, but I like all animals. The important thing is determining if owning a pet is for you and if so, what kind of pet should you get. Both are personal decisions, and both can be difficult to make. Pets can be very expensive, food, vets bill, the damage they sometimes do, but the companionship and love they can give if trained and treat well, makes it worth it for me.

Gray Skys

by Gino Pugnetti, Elizabeth Meriwether Schuler

Simon & Schuster's Guide to Dogs is the best guide available -- With more than 320 breeds of dogs described and illustrated in full color, this book provides quick access to essential information on physical and psychological characteristics and care required. The entries for each breed give details on weight, height, markings, and type of coat, as well as information on personality traits, origins, uses, and care.

Find the book on Amazon.com

PS: They make the same book for cats, birds, lizards, mushrooms, etc...

This is a very good book for starting out, it give you information on the different types of breeds. But you really need to spend some time with a breed of dogs to really get a feel for them.

The books one flaw is that it is about standards, what the breed of dog should be. It also doesn't seem to have really any negitive comments about any breed of dog.

For instance poodles, especially the smaller breeds, tend to be very destructive if left alone, they NEED their person and will go to great lenghts to get to them. This doesn't meen that they are bad dogs, they just need to be confined when left alone. The book doesn't mention this at all.

A couple of pictures of Shadow and me at my grandfather's farm. Click on them to get the full size color pictures.

Before I met my wife, Kay, I lived alone. Being tired of this (and my dating prospects looking very grim), I decided to get a puppy. After much research into breed and such, I decided on a German Shepherd and found a puppy. He was expensive, or I thought he was, at $150 (marked down from $300). Now days they can easily cost $1500 or more, and even that would have been cheap considering what joy he gave us. He was covered with ticks, but he took to me right away and had a good blood line. The next day my brother, his wife, and I de-ticked him. I remember thinking he was the cutest puppy on the planet. Fortunately, house training was easy, he was used to going outside and didn't want to go anywhere else. Neighbors threw rocks at him, I was working long hours, and I never walked him enough, but he was always happy to see me when I got home.

Shadow, for me, was a Godsend; someone to look foward to seeing. No matter how bad my day was or who had yelled at me, he was there. I know that he helped keep me sane when my days got really bad. When a kitten showed up in the house, Shadow took to raising her (he raised all our kittens). When I met my wife he accepted her as one of the family--protecting her and being with her when I was away. He was family in every way that was important. On his passing even the cats mourned him for weeks, Scotty, our one male cat, had played and slept with Shadow; they were inseperable friends. After Shadow died, Scotty would go to the front door and meow for him. This lasted for several months.

Shadow, no words can describe how much you are missed, and always will be missed. We think of you every day. May you find peace, and may you be with us again when we pass on. Until that time, may God watch over you, as I know you watch over us. Amen.

A prayer for Shadow and other pets who have passed on: Rainbow Bridge

A link to a pet loss site called PetLoss.com
A link to a pet loss site called RainbowBridge.com

Reverend Gray Skys
Saint Brigid's Church