Our Halo
Today is our dog’s eighth birthday (he is exactly one week older than our youngest child). Why would I bother blogging about a dog? I’m glad you asked.
Halo is not just any dog. We originally received Halo as service dog from the organization National Service Dogs. There was a lot of fundraising done for Halo (I think we hit $28,000).
What does a service dog do? Halo would wear a jacket like guide dogs. He would then be tethered to our son Logan, who has autism. This would prevent Logan from taking off and made outings so much easier. There was also an emotional benefit as Halo would calm Logan down simply by being in the same room even if they were not tethered.
Halo made a huge difference in our family life, allowing us to take Logan out and even intervening when Logan would run down the driveway. However, Halo is a retired service dog now. Logan is older and now lives in a group home and Halo has remained with us.
I say that Halo is retired but in many ways he is not. He is like our family service dog, even though he no longer wears the jacket. He is a calming influence on our other son who has his own issues. Halo has a sensitivity to how humans are doing. He often knows if I’m having a bad sarcoidosis day before I do. He seeks out Amanda on her rough days as well.
We are thankful for having Halo in our home. He is the best dog a family could ask for.
