Who recommends a dog for a child on the spectrum?

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I honestly think one of the best things we can do with our kid is to get her a dog. It's just a matter of location. We're currently apartment dwellers and hopefully next year house dwellers. But I was wondering if anyone has gotten a dog (or any pet for that matter) and have found it helpful for a child who is socially awkward. When I say helpful, I mean in the aspect of forming new attachments, friendship and companionship. I would have thought the answer is yes, but since I just got to this forum tonight and to be honest, amazed at the amount of information here, I figured there might be some more insight from other parents. Our child has no siblings and we have no friends close by that have kids around her age. I moved to another country, so my cousins are back there and while they're having kids, the family I married into is relatively small and very spread out across the continent.

The only person I ever felt close to or loved by in my childhood was the family dog, so I would say yes.

I really like cats myself, I've had cats for as long as I can remember. I don't feel comfortable around dogs, they are loud and run up to you. Cats are usually more reserved. There are stories on the interwebs of kids who benefited from cats and others who benefited from dogs. I guess it's a matter of preference, maybe find out whether your daughter likes cats or dogs better? Visit an animal shelter and see if there are any animals she responds to.

A pet cat changed my son's life.

My son loves guinea pigs, and that's something you could have (usually) in an apartment. You just have to be careful if your kid is rough or has sensory issues that might cause him to pet the piggy too hard or hold it too tight. DS likes to hold his pig and lay on his bed when he feels stressed.
We also have a cat, but the cat does not like DS. DS was too rough with her when he was a toddler/preschooler. He's nine now, but she has not forgiven him.

We got a very small dog - a 10 pound dachshund/chiwuaua mix. It does have energy, but is really more of a lap dog than a very active dog. Something like that would be fine in an apartment if you have time and some location to take it outside to do it's business and walk it a little. Our son is very taken with Savanna.

I've always had cats and it always helped me alot.

I had a dog when I was young. It taught me responsibility (I had to feed him, walk him and clean up his poop).

Generally, I think having a pet is a good thing for children. As another dog walker told me several years back, “I wish I had a dog when my daughter was growing up. I would have saved a lot of money on therapy”. There’s some truth to this. With a dog, you get unconditional love. You have someone to share your problems with, who is never judgmental.

We have two cats, and my son really loves them. I think they have really been beneficial for him. We had older cats when he was first born, and they tended to avoid him for the most part because they were old and he was a little too loud, rough and unpredictable for them- but they were very patient with him. Those cats have since passed. We took in two strays (at different times) as small kittens. They love my son and follow him around. Whether you get a dog or a cat, it's a good bet to get them as puppies/ kittens because they will grow up accustomed to children and not shy away. Some older pets work out too, but I think it works better when you get the pets young.

My son also loves watching youtube videos of dogs and cats. I plan to get a dog someday, but when the kids are a little older and can help walk it. We also live in an apartment, so don't have the option of letting a dog out in the yard. We would have to take the dog to the park daily.

I disagree with getting a guinea pig. They may be cute to look at and feel good to pet (for sensory stimulation), but they're too furniture-like, for the lack of a better term. They don't give much emotional feedback, outside of running away vs. not running away (and sometimes biting).

Cats tend to be quite solitary, they don't always like being touched, and apparently, they don't forgive easily. (Sound familiar? ) So they may not be the best pet for an aspie child, unless it's a really affectionate cat.

So a dog is the way to go. For a lonely child, a dog may be anything from a mildly pleasant companion, to a difference between life and death. The cliche of a boy and his dog existed long before "Old Yeller" came out. A dog can teach an aspie child the concepts of loyalty and friendship in ways that the confusing, and sometimes hostile, NT world cannot. I've even heard of learn-to-read programs for children, where they read to a dog (with the dog sitting or lying quietly), which work extremely well. I know I begged for a dog when I was little, but with my parents being anti-pet to this day, it's pretty obvious I never got one.

I always had dogs when I was growing up. Dogs are great. I practiced eye-contact with my family dogs, and talked to them about stuff while rubbing their belly. They were great company when hiking or jogging with one of my female friends- two teenage girls alone, better off with a big dog. They even helped me bond with a few people, because it was a shared topic of interest. Oh yes, I believe autistic kids should have dogs.

Dogs are a must. We got a dog about two years ago, before then I was a 'stick to myself, only come out of my room when I really needed to'. Now that we have a dog, I am more around my family, playing with our dog, taking her for walks and even going to the shops with my mum as the walks have kind of opened me out a bit to the world. Yes dogs are worth it! We have a cavachon, possibly one of the cutest dogs you can buy, they don't shed, they don't drool, but when they want to play, they REALLY want to play. I am on the spectrum, and I have seen a great benefit from getting a dog.

We have a dog and three cats. Love them all. My kids love them. They love my kids.

I think the only thing you should be mindful of is that different breeds have different natural "temperaments" and some of them are more suitable to kids in general and kids on the spectrum in specific. And some dog breeds can make good family/kid dogs if they are properly trained/socialized (think a shiba inu), but the training can be difficult and maybe even impossible for someone who doesn't have experience, whereas there are other breeds that tend to be easy to train like a yorkie. I, myself, am a firm believer in providing a home for a rescue, which may not be a pure breed, but you can usually still find a good match. When we got our dog from a shelter, I brought my son with me (he was a toddler with high energy and impulsivity) and the staff were able to help me find a dog that was a perfect match. She is a terrier mix and was super tolerant of both kids when they were little and a bit more rough. Now that they are older, she adores them and follows them everywhere.

Have you ever owned a guinea pig? Your description of them is pretty far off the mark. They love to cuddle, and make different sounds for happiness, hunger, fear, etc. They are social animals (like prairie dogs) who enjoy petting and company. I've owned several throughout my life, and never been bitten by any of them.
Maybe you're thinking of hamsters?

Wow!

Thanks for all of your insightful replies. I'm really pleased to see the responses and not just about the dogs, but other pets too. It tells me I might be on the right track, which is encouraging. I try to understand where my daughter is coming from sometimes through aspects of part of my own personality: introversion. I don't think I share the same types of alternative wiring, but I am wired differently.

As someone who is introverted, I found I had a lot of time for my dog and as someone mentioned: the unconditional love. It's priceless. I used to always say that they never have a bad word to say about you, always pleased to see you and love you (even if part of that is tied up to the refrigerator ha!). Probably the reason I didn't get lonely when spending copious amounts of time alone, was because I had a dog, so I was never really alone. I realize dogs don't replace the human connection, but for a child who has difficulty finding connection, it might be a good middle ground. A good point was raised about teaching responsibility. Another raised about eye contact. My daughter has no issue with eye contact with us, but strangers are another story. Many kids may be like that, but ours can put her hands to her face so you can't see her eyes and if it's real bad, her head drops to the floor with the rest of her body in a down fetal position. I assume she requires some coaching on how to better cope with strangers face-to-face and not sure where to start, but that's another topic.

We've considered ferrets and even rats, because both are intelligent and actually quite cuddly (some people may freak out on rodents, but if they're pets it's different), but they're a bit too fragile in comparison to a pup and they don't live nearly as long. Our child can be very gentle, but at the same time she can be loud and I think it would be best not to have a dog already grown up, but as was also mentioned, one that grows with the child. I'm not sure of a specific breed. Hubby suggests a big dog, so she has that fierce protector, but at the same time I have concerns it may be too protective at the wrong moment. Whomever our girl befriends would be ideally choosing her and not the other way around. That's how I found my match in a dog...it was the runt of the litter and she was a most wonderful companion. I would LOVE to get her a dog now, but it's easier when you have a house and a yard, and besides I'm not sure the landlord would care for one being potty trained in their apartment Can't wait to be able to provide a HOME...but it's at least another six months away.

I can't swear to it from personal experience, but from what I understand the Manx cats from the Isle of Man tend to be more dog-like than other breeds of cats. If I remember correctly, while a cat won't follow you around, some Manx cats will follow you like a dog.

As for other pets besides cats and dogs, a horse would be nice, but you probably wouldn't want to keep one in the living room. (I did see a neighbor kid ride his horse into the living room of his house once.)

My niece had a pet steer -- it was kind of funny to see a little girl being followed around by an enormous steer. It stayed in the pasture, not the house.

Some kids might like chickens. Think of them as like a little treasure hunt each day trying to find their eggs. It might scare them, though, to have to reach underneath a broody hen to retrieve her eggs from the nest.