Nemo means normality for young lad
There is no difficulty finding Nemo in the Costello household.
Nemo is a 3-year-old assistance dog to Blake Costello, 6, who has severe non-verbal autism and Nemo is like his ‘‘constant shadow’’.
Blake’s mum Anna Costello said Nemo ‘‘will always follow Blake around’’ when he’s not working.
Nemo has been part of the Costello family since December 2016, helping to make life more normal.
Anna said things were desperate. ‘‘I got to my wits’ end.’’
Blake has no sense of danger and would need to be in a buggy whenever they left the property.
Just walking down the driveway could turn into a challenge, she said.
With Blake harnessed to Nemo, the family are able to walk to and from school and ‘‘do normal stuff as a family, have a normal kind of life’’.
Doing the things ‘‘parents with normal children take for granted’’ has been a life-changer.
Nemo was originally trained to assist an individual with brain damage but it didn’t work out due to a family member having a dog allergy so he was retrained for Blake, including getting used to a harness and being tethered to someone.
Nemo is trained to withstand things most dogs would snap at, including being layed on, having his tail stood on and being poked and prodded.
‘‘If Blake wants to lay on him for comfort, he’s trained to handle that. If you stand on his tail, he’s trained not to move.
‘‘It’s for the safety of kids as much as it is for the dog.’’
Anna is constantly training Nemo, taking him out and about on his harness and parking him up somewhere. He has to lay and stay until she returns.
‘‘People are always wondering who the dog belongs to out on his own but that’s what he has to do if he’s got Blake with him.’’
When Nemo has on his harness, he knows it’s time to focus, and when it’s off, he’s a different dog. ‘‘He’s a bit of an idiot’’.
He may be the family clown but Anna said Nemo was ‘‘pretty intuitive’’.
‘‘He can pick up when I’m not feeling great within myself. He’s just as much my dog as he is for Blake. He’s lovely.’’
Anna hadn’t had a dog before Nemo but now she wouldn’t be without him. ‘‘I miss him when he’s not here.’’
And it seems Nemo Blake when he’s not home.
The sound of the taxi arriving home with Blake after school gets Nemo in a frenzy. He barks excitedly. ‘‘He can’t get to the door quick enough. He sits down and waits for him. It’s quite cute to watch.’’
As if Nemo knows his role is to protect Blake, Anna said and at the end of the day, Nemo sleeps in Blake’s room ready for another day of challenges. misses