5-Year-Old Boy Meets His Autism Service Dog

The mother of a 5-year-old boy with autism witnessed something amazing when her son met his autism service dog, Tornado, for the first time. And if you've ever questioned whether animals are a gift from God, this beautiful story proves it!

Credit: Facebook / Love What Matters

God Sends A Furry Angel

As parents, we always want to fix things for our kids. But there are some things we just can't fix. So, it was heart-wrenching for this mom to watch her 5-year-old son struggle because of his autism, knowing she was unable to "fix it."

But then her son met Tornado, his autism service dog.

Their connection was instant. It was unlike anything his mom had ever witnessed. It was so beautiful she couldn't help but cry. And after reading her emotional post on Facebook, you'll likely need a few tissues, too!

The boy’s mom, S. Niehaus, wrote on Facebook:

"See this moment? I've never experienced a moment like this.

Yesterday was the first day my 5 year old Autistic son met his new Autism Service Dog, Tornado. We are Americans that live overseas in Japan and have prepared for nearly two years to meet Tornado.

This picture captures the face of a mother who saw her child, who she can't hug, wash, dress, snuggle and touch freely lay on his new Service dog of his own free will, with a purposeful, unspoken attachment.

This is the face of a mom who has seen her son experience countless failed social interactions on the playground in an attempt to have a friend.

Any friend. Any kind of connection.

She has sat with her son while he has cried at night for months because he has no consistent connections outside of the family no matter how hard he tries and no matter what he works hard on in his Autism therapies. It doesn't transfer to the natural occurring world for him.

And now she is sitting behind her son silently watching this moment, with the air sucked from her lungs, and no words to say.

It's worth every fight for services for my son, every diagnosis, every new provider, every dollar spent, every paper filled out, every school meeting, every shed tear, every step forward, every step back, and every wonder of the unknown future. Somehow because of this - because of Tornado - I know everything will be okay.

As a mother, I have seen countless challenging and painful moments my son has encountered and cried countless more. Yesterday however, I cried for a different reason. It is a feeling that is indescribable."