“Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass…

It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”     -unknown-

My son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when he was almost 3 years old. Since then, we, as a family, have been through many challenges. Children on the spectrum come in many shapes and sizes with many different sets of challenges and gifts. Our son is very strong and athletic with wonderful coordination and balance, however, he is non-verbal. By non-verbal I mean that he does not have regular speech and the words that he does have are not clearly discernible to the untrained ear. He loves to be outside and we have acreage that borders thousands of acres of private and state timberland. I wanted a dog for my son that would be his constant companion, both inside and out. I felt that he needed a large dog to be with him for protection and safety issues as well as companionship. He does not have friends like other children and I saw this as an opportunity for him to have a friend to do things with that could give love unconditionally.

By a wonderful twist of fate our dreams for a dog for our son started to become reality. I bred a special litter for the size and temperament we wanted and our trainer took 3 of the pups to his home to train them specifically for Autism Service Dogs (or for others with similar needs). Maude came back to us as the best choice for our son.

Our situation is always going to be “a work in progress”, but how can having a boy with his dog by his side be a bad thing?? 🙂

*Please email us directly for information at gretchen@pacificrimlabradoodles.com

If you have any questions about availability or want information and/or an application, please email for more information.