TALOODLES MILO
Taloodles Milo is a very easy going boy who was placed with Alexander (AKA "Bub") in 2013. Bub was a promising athlete until she suffered a severe, deep brain injury in a skiing accident in January 2013. Bub was in a coma for many months and her recovery is ongoing. Bub’s sense of humor, strength of character and love of life are all in tact, however, she is unable to walk unaided or talk. Milo was allocated to Bub to provide her with a constant companion so that she is never alone. He has become a part of her physical and emotional therapy and seems to know when he is needed. Bub has made significant progress since her accident, her family are hopeful that she will walk and talk again and are dedicated to her ongoing recovery. It is magic to watch these two together. Milo has become a much loved member of this family.
TALOODLES DAISY
Taloodles Daisy is a very, sweet natured little dog who was placed with Bianca in 2013. Bianca has high functioning autism, receptive and expressive language disorders in the severe range, cognitive and intellectual delay and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – all of these disorders make every day for her family challenging as all these disorders can present simultaneously.
Bianca has also suffered with anxiety and depression and has been bullied at school by her peers. Bianca has an over sensitivity to loud places like concerts and swimming carnivals and has a tactile sensitivity to hair washing and clothing.
Daisy has settled in well with her family, she has provided Bianca with a constant, non judgmental, loving friend. Daisy gives Bianca great emotional support and reduces her anxiety, she is a great social tool and helps Bianca to strike up conversations with adults and other kids about her dog. Bianca has also learnt responsibility, patience and caring through her interaction with Daisy. These two are very special friends.
TALOODLES POPPY
Taloodles Poppy is a very sweet natured, loving little dog, Poppy was placed with brothers Jack and Ben in August 2014. Jack and Ben both have undiagnosed genetic conditions, they are in wheelchairs and are non verbal. Poppy has had a significant impact on their lives. If they come home stressed or upset from school she provides comfort and her funny antics never fail to make them smile, she is happy to lie quietly with them whilst they watch movies or go to sleep. Patting her and giving her treats is assisting their gross motor skills and her constant companionship provides them with great emotional support.
TALOODLES WAGNER ("WAGS")
Taloodles Wagner is an amazing boy, extremely loving and laid back. Wagner was placed with Sammy in December 2014. Sammy has a severe intellectual disability, severe autism and severe receptive and expressive language disorders with limited verbal output. Wagner's addition to this family has had amazing results. Sammy's speech and social interaction have improved significantly. Sammy had not ventured into the backyard for many years and now regularly plays in the backyard with Wagner. Wagner has a calming effect on Sammy and the entire family are seeing the benefits of exercising Wagner and having him as part of their family.
TALOODLES FERGUS
Taloodles Fergus is a loveable, goofball who was placed with Fee in 2016. Fergus was specifically trained for Fee, we did a lot of work with Fergus to make him comfortable around Fee's wheelchair. We assisted with the first stage of Fergus' training and Fee is now continuing that training which includes picking things up off the floor, bringing Fee's wheelchair to her, getting washing out of the washing machine, and many other small tasks. The relationship between these two is very special to watch.
TALOODLES BILLY
Taloodles Billy is a very loving, gentle natured boy who was placed with his recipient in 2014. Billy is assisting his recipient by being a calm, loving and non judgemental friend which helps reduce anxiety. Billy has become a much loved member of his family in a short period of time and is always available to dispense cuddles as required.
TALOODLES ATHENA
Taloodles Athena is a gorgeous, loving girl with a beautiful nature to match who was placed in 2014. It is amazing how quickly the dogs integrate into their new families and start to make a difference to the lives of the children to whom they have been allocated:
"M started back at school this week, so I've been taking Athena to pick up, and she's met a lot of the kids in his class. Yesterday, we spent half an hour after school with the teacher, who was thrilled with her and how well she behaves. M's teacher says she can see a difference already in how he is coping at school now, compared to before the holidays. She said that she can see a leap in maturity and confidence, and that instead of struggling with the dynamics of the class, he is sometimes managing to contribute to making things smoother in his social group, which is a first. The group as a whole is very accepting that Athena is going to start coming to school to help him, and by asking questions and wanting to meet her, has already started to open up and accept him a bit more!"
TALOODLES ASHER
Taloodles Asher is an amazing, little dog - very loving, responsive and obedient who was placed in 2014. He is making a difference to his recipients by calming their anxieties, promoting self confidence and independence.
TALOODLES COCO
Denver is a gorgeous girl with moderate learning and intellectual disabilities, ADHD, inattentiveness, Sensory Processing Disorder, Development Coordination Disorder plus Chromosome abnormalities. Denver has a friendly, outgoing nature but communication and playing with her peers is limited due to these challenges. She can also suffer from major melt downs at any moment.
Denver attends school with full time support but it is evident in the school playground that she often plays alone and finds it difficult to make friends. Denver has been obsessed with animals but mainly dogs from day one. If we are out somewhere and someone has a dog with them then that’s where you will find Denver.
Coco was placed in 2015 and is providing Denver with constant companionship, unconditional love and support. She is the first thing Denver looks for when she wakes in the morning and as soon as she arrives home in the afternoon. We can only image how strong this bond will be as time goes on.
TALOODLES DARCY
"Jerome has a moderate intellectual disability, severe language delay, sensory processing challenges, and anxiety issues.
Dogs were a major cause of anxiety. It was getting to the point of not being able to walk down the street without it causing distress. We contacted Taloodles for advice and spent several months meeting Sue and some of her beautiful and calm Taloodles. Over this time Jerome went from cowering to cuddling with them. His progress was so good that he was able to visit friends with their dogs and help walk them. He was quite proud of himself being able to do this.
Darcy joined our family in 2015 and since then Jerome's confidence around most dogs has grown and it just keeps on growing. We have been able to go to parks and cafes where there are often many dogs and to our amazement Jerome has been relaxed and happy.
As a family we have been enjoying our daily walks with Darcy. Jerome can become quiet anxious in a busy noisy street but since Darcy is so calm and ignores all loud noises we have noticed that Jerome is less reactive and becoming calmer too. Darcy also provides many opportunities for Jerome to interact with friends in his community which is fantastic for his conversation skills. Due to his language delay, conversation with his peers can be difficult, but Darcy has proven a great conservation starter for him.
Jerome is an only child and Darcy has been become a great buddy for Jerome. He provides companionship and unconditional love. He is accepting of all Jerome's little quirks. We often hear Jerome chatting away to him or playing fetch and other games with him. Together they are becoming quite the partners in crime, both with their ‘cheeky’ personalities.
In the few weeks that we have had Darcy we have already noticed a big difference in Jerome. He is much more willing to go out and engage in play and his confidence is growing all round."
TALOODLES CLANCY
Taloodles Clancy was placed with L in 2017, L is a 17 year old girl with an intellectual disability and ADHD. Clancy has become a much loved member of this family providing L with a best friend who is always ready to listen and offer unconditional love and acceptance. L's words will often run away with her, she speaks very quickly and sticks to her topic and finds it hard to be receptive, acknowledge or listen to other people's input, patting Clancy slows this down and makes her conversation more receptive and improves her social ability. In planning for L's future, she completed Year 12 in 2017, her family have considered what valued roles she could have in society. Clancy has paved the way for L to connect with others and have a "job", L, Clancy and a carer visit a local nursing home on a regular basis, this has given L an amazing sense of self worth because she is brightening the day of the nursing home residents which she loves.
TALOODLES FINNEGAN
Taloodles Finnegan was allocated to his recipient in 2017, his recipient is an 11 year old girl who recently send me a message that said "I didn't know if I would ever have a best friend and now I really do, Finnegan". Finnegan has proven to be an amazing companion offering unconditional love and support to his recipient, reducing her anxiety, loneliness and assisting with social connections.
TALOODLES LULU
Taloodles Lulu was place with F in 2016, F is an active 8 year old boy who loves being outside and playing on the swing, trampoline, exploring the garden and riding his bike. F has a severe expressive and receptive speech disorder and dyspraxia as well as Ataxic Cerebal Palsy, this means verbal communication takes a lot of mental energy and physical effort, it is difficult for his peers to understand his speech, limiting his circle of friends dramatically. F also has a diagnosis of global developmental delay and has an intellectual disability. Lulu has provided a great sense of fun and love to this family, she is the perfect friend for F to talk to and has proved to be a great way of socially connecting with others and assisting with building self confidence and self esteem.