Ever since Kai was a baby, his mother, Shanna Niehaus, had endured many struggles with him. In the beginning, they wondered why Kai didn’t talk and hated physical contact. They had trouble communicating with him and making a connection. It has been frustrating for Shanna, who felt that she was not doing a good job as a mom.
And when Kai turned four, they finally figured out why. Kai was diagnosed with autism. And although they now finally knew what was behind everything, it didn’t make things any easier. Then they learned that having a service dog can help Kai open up and also keep him safe.
Tornado
Shanna did her research and found that they could get a service dog for Kai in Xenia, Ohio. Although the Niehaus family was American, they were living in Tokyo, Japan. Shanna made all the arrangements, and they had to wait for some time before a dog could be allotted for them. And when they heard that they finally had a one-year-old pup ready for them, they were overjoyed.
But before leaving for the US, they had to prepare Kai mentally. They told him about the dog and what to expect. They didn’t know how Kai would react to the dog they were getting.
Overjoyed
At first, Shanna was afraid that Kai would be scared of the dog and shun him away. Because of his autism, Kai had difficulty making a connection with anyone. But then, it turned out that Shanna had absolutely nothing to worry about.
When Kai saw Tornado, the boy rushed to the dog and threw his arms around his new friend. He also spent some time cuddling with the dog. Seeing how happy his son was, Shanna couldn’t help herself. She broke down and started crying.
The next step was for Kai to spend more time with the dog. They will train together so that they will be able to communicate better. When the training was over, Tornado flew with the family back to Tokyo.
Source: ABC News via Youtube
