Therapy dog helps autistic boy 'thrive'

Bodhi (L) and Frank (R) have become "the best of friends"

A father has praised how a therapy dog has been a "brilliant" comfort for his autistic son.

Carl, from Bournemouth, said his son Bodhi, 8, has always struggled to make friends, but their German shepherd, Frank the Tank, has been trained to pick up on his body language and support him in public.

The dog, who has been trained by the police, replaced their former pet Coco, who died last March from a ruptured tumour in front of a traumatised Bodhi, who was still non-verbal at the time

Carl, who is a photographer and is also training to be a mental health nurse, said Frank has been the perfect replacement and is now "with him wherever he goes".

"When Coco died, our world came crashing down and we knew that we would have to get him a new dog," he said.

"I was training firearms police at the time while doing medical training, as I'm ex-ambulance, and one of the firearms officers phoned me the night Coco died and said he could help us get a trained police dog."

Carl said he was put in touch with breeders in Salisbury who "selected the perfect dog", adding Bodhi and Frank are "now the best of friends and go everywhere together".

"Frank has brilliant basic behaviours, he can read Bodhi's movements and body language, and he goes on planes, trains and can even watch the fireworks," he said.

"If Bodhi has a meltdown, Frank will keep him safe and sit with him and lean on him.

"The reason we use a German shepherd is that he is a visual deterrent and that is needed at times especially out in the public domain, so they are brilliant together and Frank is with him wherever he goes."

Dogs are often used in assistance roles, such as guiding people with visual impairments and supporting those who are physically disabled, deaf and hard of hearing.

Carl went on to say Bodhi has since improved over the last year and is "learning and thriving" at school.

"The biggest thing is he doesn't understand social norms, he struggles to make friends and the only friend he has ever had is his dog," he said.