When Bobby Clark grew from a baby to a toddler, his parents sensed there was something different about him as he experienced delayed speech, heightened anger and he struggled to deal with noisy or busy environments.
At the age of four, Bobby was finally diagnosed with autism. The diagnosis came as a relief to his father Jody and mother Rachel, but they struggled to help their son interact with the world.
The noise, lights and chaos of Christmas were always a particularly tough time of year for him.
But this year will be different – Bobby has Zeus, a specially trained support dog who is always by his side, and now at the age of seven, the little boy is embracing his first Christmas.
“Autism is such a tough challenge for any child, but seeing Bobby not enjoy Christmas when it’s the most magical time of year was simply awful for us,” says Jody, 38, an automotive engineer, from Southam, Warwickshire.
“Bobby’s always been scared of people in uniform, and while he loved the idea of Santa bringing presents and all the festive fun, when it came to the reality of facing up to these situations in real life, he’d desperately cling on to us and want to leave. It was simply heart-breaking, and we just didn’t know what to do.
“There were no grotto visits, we’d have to watch high street Christmas lights getting turned on from a far distance, pantomimes were a complete no-go. Anything noisy, different with bright lights and lots of people, Bobby hated it. Christmas just wasn’t for him – which meant we had to stay inside too.
“In the past we’ve had to meticulously plan each day at Christmas, breaking it down into bite-size chunks, otherwise he’ll burn himself out and go mute. Any excitement would overwhelm him to the point where he just wanted to hide away.”
Desperate for a way to help Bobby, Jody researched online and this spring he came across the concept of support dogs.
“I came across these specially trained dogs who could be game-changing for kids with autism. I applied to one charity, who wanted around £30,000 for a trained dog, and my heart sank, thinking we’d never be able to afford it.
“But then I came across the charity Support Dogs, which provides its services for free. After applying, in April I got the email we’d prayed for – we’d been approved and were matched with a two-year-old Red Fox Labrador called Zeus.”
One of the charity’s trainers brought Zeus to meet Bobby and his parents at home and they all walked to the park.
“Straight away I could see the calming influence Zeus had on Bobby,” Jody says. “A month later Zeus came to live with this, then it was up to me to help build that relationship.”
Jody describes Zeus as a “magic worker”, who could soothe Bobby with a touch. “Zeus would sense when Bobby was overstimulated and brush up next to him, or even lie down on Bobby, which instantly calmed him down,” he says.
“Before, Bobby wouldn’t walk anywhere, but with Zeus we could enjoy family walks. For the first time ever – Bobby’s now bursting with confidence and chatting away with other little boys and girls.
“Before, we’d always have to carry Bobby everywhere, which was exhausting, and also rather depressing – all we wanted was for our only child to get out there and enjoy life.
“It was like our little lad was being transformed into a ‘normal’ boy, and seeing the smile on his face was priceless.”
At the end of November Bobby and Zeus “graduated”, and were given a certificate to mark the strength of their bond. “With Zeus by his side, Bobby can regulate his emotions, he has a new confidence which is simply heart-melting to see,” Jody says.
“Rachel and I then thought maybe, just maybe, we could all enjoy a proper Christmas together as a family this year, our first ever. We didn’t want to push him too hard, remembering Bobby ran a mile when he saw Santa in his grotto last year, but decided we had to give it a go.
“So, we took them to a Special Educational Needs session at Blooms Garden Centre near us in Rugby where they’d put on their usual Christmas Grotto. We carefully drove up, and told Bobby the plan – he always has to know in advance, surprises aren’t his thing.
“But he didn’t recoil, and we all walked up to the grotto, where Bobby approached the Elf and asked if he could see Santa. Rachel and I just stood back and shed a few tears, unable to believe what we were witnessing.
“Bobby confidently walked through the grotto door where he was greeted by Santa. He went over and sat next to him and they just chatted away, Bobby occasionally looking down to check Zeus was there.
“Bobby threw some ‘snowballs’, he got a present from Santa – some slime, which he loves – and left with a huge smile on his face! When we got home, he called his grandparents to tell them all about it.”
The whole experience was more than Jody and Rachel could have imagined for their son.
“It’s hard to put into words what this means, how other parents without an autistic child might not get how important this is,” Jody explains. “But for us, it’s the best Christmas present imaginable.
“We can go Christmas shopping together now, we can go to the panto, we can enjoy long walks together on Christmas Day. Basically, this wonder dog has given Bobby – and us – Christmas.”
To find out more about the work of Support Dogs, please visit supportdogs.org.uk or call 0114 261 7800
