Jewel Inspired Dog Names

There once was a little 5-year-old girl who barely spoke. She was deeply disturbed and troubled. Her parents were crushed by the diagnosis they were given. Doctors told them she had delusional thoughts disorder and only borderline intelligence. It was a devastating blow to the couple. They knew, deep inside, that the doctors were mistaken about their little daughter Joy. But they didn't know  how to correct the situation. After all, they were first time parents and these were experts they were dealing with.

When Joy was seven, she was additionally diagnosed with autism. It helped that they now knew what the root cause of the problem was and knew what they were fighting. The Lauffenburgers hired an aide for their child so she could get to her special education classes at school while they worked and entered her into all kinds of therapy groups. They spent an incredible sum of money on therapy. Probably more than they spent on their house, Dean Lauffenburger reportedly said.

Joy really wanted a dog but because Dean Lauffenburger was allergic, they tried to avoid adding a furry canine to their family. You couldn't cuddle a turtle or a fish, though, so Joy was still missing something. They decided they would try out a dog for a few days. Enter Goldie, an adorable Besinji-mix. The dog could stay for one week. But soon, it was apparent to all that Joy and Goldie belonged together.

Goldie took training classes to be a service dog so she and Joy could go together everywhere. The child who could barely speak spent hours reading aloud to her little  nonjudgmental companion. In just 12 months her language skills increased by four years. Now the family that had been severely restricted in their travels were able to go wherever they wanted. They visited, Disney World, went horseback riding, and went to Sea World. They even went to the White House, and Goldie was right next to Joy the entire time.

Together Joy and Goldie trained to be a therapeutic team, allowing them to participate in the "Read to Dogs" program at Metropolitan Library System's read to dogs program for kids. Joy developed into an artist and a public speaker, thanks to some help from Goldie. She's come a long way since the little girl who barely spoke.