Our First Trip With An Autism Assistance Dog Guide

Beautiful painted bikes sit in front of the quaint homes on this beautiful island.

Time flies, commitments linger over heads, deadlines quickly swallow up family time. Sound familiar?

We needed a break. Time away from the phones, time to look in each others eyes without the distractions of hand held devices. It was high time, our bodies were weary are minds numb and cluttered.

We decided that somewhere quiet, quaint and restful was exactly where we should end up, after all we only had 3 days.. max.
After a quick Internet search I came up with Malcolm Island. A sweet little Island off of the Northern end of Vancouver Island....ahhh perfect!

Jan's place looked like a home away from home, affordable, comfortable and had everything we needed right at our finger tips, and they were comfortable having Waylen our Autism Assistance Dog Guide come along.

Waylen ready to go

It amazes me how well Waylen has fit into our lives, he is no trouble at all and has become an extension of our son. He follows him everywhere, comforting him with his very presence. Most of all he enables us to enjoy life to the fullest!

The view from Jan's Place

Since most everything is closed on this island from Sunday to Tuesday we brought all our own food, and because the room has a full kitchen it was perfect!

The Co Op "hub of the town"


This Co Op is the go to place for shopping in this small town, when it is closed your next option is the gas station. Check out the still used diesel pump.

When you go to the beach covering up is essential. We thought it was hilarious that Waylen wore his hat.

I can't put in words just how much this dog has changed our lives. Some may look at our family and think "why would you need an assistance dog?"

Some people have invisible barriers, and judging or asking too many questions is just plain painful. So when you encounter a service dog, please don't ask why do you need a dog? or what's your dog doing for you? Questions like these are counter productive.

Below is one of the best pictures I have to describe our very first vacation with our service dog.
Perfect in every way!