Congrats to JT and SD Maggie

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO J.T. AND MAGGIE, IN HOUSTON, WHO PASSED THEIR P.A.T! I had the wonderful fortune of meeting 4 year-old J.T., who has autism, and his amazingly brilliant, dedicated, and kind parents in Houston to give J.T. and his now SD Maggie their final test. It was an incredible experience watching how much they have taught Maggie, how receptive she is to J.T., and how much of a difference their lives have changed as a result of being together! We went to Petsmart, and J.T. and Maggie were perfect – J.T. holds onto Maggie’s handle on her vest, and if J.T. starts to wander off, J.T.’s parents (always one of them present) give the command to hold on to Maggie, and J.T. does! Maggie herself knows all the dog commands beautifully, and is not distracted by anything. Her focus is always on J.T. If J.T. wanders off a bit, the parents just have to tell Maggie to “find the boy” and Maggie will lead them right to J.T. We also trained at Kohl’s, and it was just as wonderful. J.T. would walk next to Maggie, and if J.T. started to wander a bit, Maggie would instantly be by his side. We played some hide and seek games in the toy department of Kohl’s, and had so much fun. J.T. was enthralled by some of the toys at Kohl’s, and Maggie never left his side – no matter how long he looked! When J.T. has a bit of a meltdown, (which have decreased since having Maggie), J.T. tends to curl up in a ball on the floor – and Maggie will just step over him with her body covering him and J.T. calms down so much more. I am so proud of all the hard work this family has done, and feel absolutely confident that things will just get better and better for VERY smart J.T. and VERY smart SD Maggie! Again, congratulations!!!!!