A devoted assistance dog who has transformed the life of his young autistic owner while also stopping him from self-harming has been nominated for a top award.
Four-year-old pooch Sauce has become best pals with little Kearyn Adamson after being trained to help his tiny handler with his meltdowns and anxiety.
Kearyn, affectionately nicknamed Kicky, suffers from a number of life-limiting conditions including Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), which can cause tumours to grow on nerve tissue.
The eight-year-old also has autism, ADHD, Noonan syndrome, Moyamoya disease and glaucoma in both eyes leaving him severely sight impaired.
Before being paired with Labrador Sauce, who was trained by Autism Dogs CIC, the youngster was non-verbal and battled to go out in public without breaking down.
But his proud mum Jodi told how the duo have become best of friends with Sauce having massively improved the whole family’s quality of life.
The mum-of-two, from Dalkeith, explained: “Sauce is an assistance dog who is trained specifically to meet Kearyn’s needs.
“He intervenes in meltdowns and stops Kearyn from self-harming. He’ll give him kisses on the face to stop him from scratching and hitting himself or bring him his favourite soft toy.
“He’ll lay on his back with his belly exposed because Kearyn likes to scratch when he’s anxious so Sauce gets the scratches instead and enjoys it.
“He also provides deep pressure therapy by leaning across Kearyn’s legs. If he falls over, Sauce is there to give him kisses and make him feel better.
“If he’s crying, Sauce will lick his ears until Kearyn giggles while wagging his tail the whole time because he’s making his little human feel better.
“If he is sore or feeling unwell, Sauce will lay next to him or bring him a squeaky tennis ball because he thinks that’ll make Kearyn happy.
“He also distracts Kearyn when he’s taking his medication. If he’s getting his eye drops for his glaucoma but isn’t taking it very well, Sauce has lay upside down next to him with his belly in the air like he’s copying him.
“If we’re out in public and Kearyn is anxious, Sauce will stay by his side and let him rub his ears because they’re soft and it gives him some comfort.
“If Kearyn hurts himself, Sauce will come and get us before taking us to him.”
She added: “Before we got Sauce, Kearyn was practically non-verbal. He didn’t play and he didn’t interact with anyone really.
“He would just point at dogs in public and you couldn’t go anywhere without him screaming his head off and crying because of the anxiety and fear.
“Now, he’s actually in mainstream school with one to one support and is a lot more verbal than he used to be.
“Of course he still struggles with some things but he has come such a long way and that’s thanks to Sauce.
“He’s now developmentally about two years behind but before, that was sitting at three-and-a-half to four years behind.
“Getting Sauce has really brought him out of his shell. They’re the best of friends and play all the time.
“But as soon as his uniform goes on, he’s like a robot and completely changes what kind of dog he is. He will focus solely on Kearyn.
“He’s an absolute life line for Kearyn and we’d all be lost without him.”
The intelligent dog even helps other family members when they're feeling down before loyally returning to Kearyn's side.
Sauce has been nominated in the worker category at the Naturo SuperDog Awards which are due to take place on November 9.
Another Scottish nominee is Spaniel Nacho who brought smiles to the faces of passersby during lockdown with his adorable window messages.
To read more about the two pooches and to cast your vote, please click here.
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