Snowball came into our lives one winter. Since the moment my dad brought him home, they have formed a close relationship. While Snowball was still young，my dad began training him. A good herding (牧放牲畜) dog is necessary for our farm where cows are raised, so Dad began preparing him for the role. Snowball’s determination to please my dad was amazing. Watching them herd cows together was interesting.

One summer morning when Snowball was six, he herded our cows out of the corral (畜栏). When the cows walked around and ate grass, my mom and I left home to visit my grandma. And as usual, Snowball sadly watched as my dad left for work in the truck. Although Snowball wished to go along, he made no move toward the truck, knowing he shouldn’t leave.

That afternoon, Snowball walked back to the roadside, lay down under a tree and patiently looked down the road, waiting for my dad to return. When finally seeing my dad’s truck back, he stood up right away. Moments later, my dad pulled up beside the tree. As my dad got out of the truck, Snowball ran to him, voicing his joy. And he danced happily around my dad.

Then, it was time for Snowball to herd the cows into the corral. All the cows, except a yellow one, were successfully herded into the corral. This yellow cow refused to go in, though Snowball did his best to herd it. Probably it was because the extreme heat of the day had made this cow angry. When it had no patience anymore, the cow turned and suddenly charged (进攻) at my dad, who was standing nearby. Catching Dad off guard, the cow knocked him to the ground. My dad wanted to go into the nearby truck but his legs got injured. While he was trying to stand up, the cow looked at him in preparation for charging again. Just then, Snowball rushed to help my dad.

Showing teeth and looking at the cow, Snowball stood bravely in front of my dad.

Before long, my mom and I returned home and learned what had happened.

I’m a talker—I have a habit of talking to every person I see—but that afternoon in March 2015, I sat beside my husband Andy on the 45-minute drive home from the Marcus Autism Center without saying a word. My two-and-a-half-year-old son Wesley had just been diagnosed(诊断) with autism spectrum disorder (自闭症谱系障碍).

I’d been given instructions and suggestions and told to sign up for classes, but I knew we could never afford any. Out of everything the specialists had said, the only word I could remember was socialization-key for Wesley to develop social skills. In the car, I tried hard to come up with ways to make his world more social. Then the strangest idea came to mind, so strange that I blurted (脱口而出) it out. “We need a dog!”

Andy looked at me as if I were crazy. “What are you talking about, Rachel? You don’t ever really like dogs.” That was true. I had had bad experiences with dogs growing up. “And how are we going to afford a dog right now?” Yes, another big question. But somehow I couldn’t shake the idea.

A couple of weeks later, I was outside playing with Wesley, when a new neighbor walked over with a black curly-coated dog. When we were chatting, her medium-sized dog ran and jumped playfully between the boys. He was so gentle; he didn’t jump on people the way I’d seen a lot of dogs do. I watched, amazed. It was as if he knew exactly how careful to be with each of them.

“What breed (品种) is he?” I asked. “He’s an Aussiedoodle (贵宾澳牧),” She said proudly. Then she continued, “He was bred (培育) by a woman called Mary, who has three autistic (自闭症的) sons. She found that Aussiedoodles work perfectly as service dogs. I can give you her phone number if you want one.”

“Was this for real? We need an Aussiedoodle!” I said.

Then Andy and I drove to Mary’s home, and picked a dog called Berry.