Katy's Cause~Autism Awareness

I am Katy. I am 17 years old and I have mild Dyspraxia Autism. On this page I will be talking about my Autism and giving you information on Autism Awareness and about my dogs too! I have a mild form of Autism so you really can't even tell I have it, even if you just met me on the street. All kids with Autism are very unique. Kids with autism are usually fixed on one particular thing. Like mine is dogs! I could probably tell you everything and anything about any dog breed you would want to know about! haha! I thought this was really funny. My doctor, when she diagonosed me with Autism, put down on her piece of paper "OCD with dogs". haha! I was mis-dignosed with cerbral palsy when I was little because I had problems with fine motor skills and walked on my tip toes until I was six and I was learning delayed. Then my mom decided to look up info about Autism on the internet one day because there was a little girl in our neighborhood with Autism like me and she acted just like I did when I was little. She looked up the information and I had all of the classic signs of Autism. So she took me to a specialist in Autism and they dignosed me with Dyspraxia Autism (that means that I have some mild brain damage and Autism). Woah! I have added "Signs of Autism" to my page. I'd rather have autism than cerbral palsy. As my mom said "what I have is a gift and she loves me just the way I am".  I was a goofy little kid. My Mom could tell I loved dogs before I could talk! Before I could hardly talk or walk, I would crawl around on my hands and knees and bark like a dog. I would also try to eat and drink out of our dog Chester's bowl! I would cry to my mom all the time "Mommy! I want to be a dog" and "Why am I not a dog?". It would break my heart that I could not be a real dog.  In Kindergarten every other kid in my class wanted to be a fireman or police officer and I wanted to be a dog! haha! I thought I was a dog! What a goofy little kid I was! When I was really little I had other dogs. We even had a blue heeler named Sadie that I picked out but, the first dog that I really could relate to was Lucy. She was the cutest little red dachshund puppy and only 6 weeks old. She was only as big as my Mom's foot! She was someone to talk to and tell my secrets to. Since Sadie never really listen to me when I tryed to have a conversation with her because she was hyper (haha!), but Lucy would just look at you with her big brown eyes and listen to whatever you had to say (She still does). She has such an amazing personality and acts like a little person. I liked to play with kids at school and sometimes invite them over for sleepovers but I really could not relate to kids like I did dogs. They always would play with me, listen to whatever I had to say, were never mean to me and gave me unconditional love back. Lucy was like a little person to me! I was very shy when I was younger and I did'nt like to make new friends. Autistic kids are usaually very shy and don't really like to talk in front of big crowds and make new friends. Most Autistic kids would rather go sit in a quiet room and read a book or play on the computer, than be at a loud party with a lot of people. As you can see I do have mild Autism. Some forms of Autism are much more severe than mine. Some kids are not as lucky as me. Some kids can not talk or communicate at all. Most autistic kids also love music because it is very relaxing (well some of it is...haha) and something to relate to. Music and Dogs are my two favorite things. I could listen to music and play with dogs all day! ( : I used to have to have help in school when I was younger. I went to a great school in Texas that had wonderful programs for special-needs kids. That school is Justin Elementary in Justin, Texas. I had wonderful teachers there that helped me with everything. I had physical therapy and occupational therapy when I was little. My favorite teacher there was Mrs. Judy Brown. She was the best teacher in the world! Because I had such a great start, I do much better now that I am in High School. I don't have any special help and I do just fine! After wanting to be a dog as a job when I was little, I have always, and still do, wanted to be  a vet tech. I love animals and they are so awesome and kind. Well...Let me go on to talk about my dogs! Well, First is the one and only Lucy! She is spayed and never had babies of her own so she loves the puppies. We gave her to my Mom for Mother's day 11 years ago. She is a 11 year old red dachshund and  has an awesome personality. Lucy is so funny! There was a piece of dog food in her water bowl, So she stuck her face in her bowl and cocked her head and stared at it for a minute and turn to my Mom and Lucy gave my Mom the meanest look, like why is this piece of food in my water bowl! It was so funny! My Mom got her some new water and she was fine. She is so goofy! She has alot of charisma and loves to show off! haha! Then comes my dog Charlotte. She is a chocolate and tan dachshund. I got her for Christmas 2 years ago. She is the best dog in the world and my best friend. She is so sweet and calm. She loves to be petted and loved on. She can be really funny too! I was really sleepy one morning and she wanted me to get up so first she scatched on my arm and then she started growling at my big stuffed dog. She was trying to push it off my bed and she did! Then I got up and she started wagging her tail and it looked like she was saying haha! I made you get up! It was really funny. Charlotte is such a good Mom and so gentle with her babies. Then comes Buddy. He is a chocolate and tan dachshund and he is my sister Jamie's doggie. She got Buddy for Christmas two years ago and he is Charlotte's brother. He is neutered and a sweet crazy little dog. Then there is Gracie. She is the most beautiful dachshund I have ever seen. She is a black and tan dachshund. She is so sweet and loves to get up on my Mom's bed to take a nap. She is a big girl though! She loves to play with the other dogs. Her Mom is Charlotte. Gracie is an awesome dog! Then comes Beau or what I call him, Mr.Beau Beau! He is an isabella and tan dachshund. He is a little guy and attention is his middle name!! He leans his head back and smiles when you pet him or play with him. He is an attention hog! I love him though. Then there is River! He is the newest addition to our family! He is a red dachshund and is sooo cute and playful. He is going to be a pretty boy when he grows up! Then comes Annabelle. She is a chocolate and tan dappled piebald. SHe is spayed and has never had babies. She is a goofy dog and is so sweet. She even likes kittens! Then comes Sid. He is a dilute red longhaired dachshund. He is so calm and sweet and love him so much! Then comes  Then there is Mylie and Cynthia. They are red dilute smooth dachshunds. Mylie is calm and sweet and Cynthia is the trouble maker. They are sisters. Charlotte is thier mom. Lucy, Charlotte, Beau, Annabelle, Sid, and River sleep in my bed with me(lucky I have a queen size bed!) and Buddy and Gracie sleep with my sister. Then there is Ollie. Ollie is not a dachshund but she is still beautiful. She is a Collie/German Shepherd mix. We rescued her from the kill shelter the day before she was going to be put to sleep. She is so cute and sweet. She is about 10 months old and ball of energy!  She live with my Papaw Clarence and Sharon next door since she gets along with the big dogs better. She is so smart. She knows how to sit, lay down and roll over no one ever taught her how. I just told her one day and she did it. Her and my Papaw Clarence's Border Collie LOVE to herd the horses. The horses don't mind they are pretty use to it. Then at my Papaw Clarence and Sharon's house I have 15 dogs and 9 horses. Woah! I also love when our dachshunds have puppies. It is so fun watching the mother dogs get bigger and bigger. I thought Charlotte was going to explode with puppies! It's also fun watching them being born and it is so cool how little puppies were growing inside of her!  I also love playing with the puppies too! The cleaning up poop part I don't like but it is all in the fun of having puppies!!  I also have another dog named Roxxi that lives at my grandparents house. She is so sweet and beautiful. She is an American Pit Bull Terrier and she is one of the sweetest dogs you could ever meet! She was wandering the streets, scared and lost. She was skinny and had alot of worms. She was about 5 months old then and weighed 25 lbs. We rescued her and brought her home. She has calmed down alot since then. Our dachshunds did not like her that much and she was a little too big for them so she went to live on 32 acres at my grandparents house. We get to see her alot since they only live about a half hour from us! Roxxi attacked my Papaw Clarence and Sharon's dog Spud so they had to put her to sleep. I miss her alot. She was one of my best friends and the greatest. She had the greatest life a dog could have. R.I.P. Roxxi(2006-2007) (Spud is ok now. His ear was torn up and so was his neck and side but he is fine now)   Dachshunds, Pit Bull Terriers, Newfoundlands and Bernese Mountain Dogs are a few of my favorite breeds of dogs. Why Dachshunds are one of my favorites is because they act more like people than dogs and well, I own dachshunds too!! Pit Bull Terriers are one my favorites  because they are so misunderstood and mysterious and have such loyal sweet personalities. Newfoundlands and Bernese Mountain Dogs are one of my favorite because they are so giant and beautiful. Newfoundlands look like little bears. But I love all dogs, purebred or mutts, I loved them all and think they all deserve loving, caring homes where they can be petted everyday and sleep in someones bed. Or go run and play with someone. Just because dogs are in animals shelters does'nt mean they are mean unloving dogs. All they want is a home, nothing else but a warm, nice bed to lay in or to lay by the fire with there favorite toy and be loved. So easy to ask for but not what alot of them get. So stop by your local animal shelter the next time you decide to add a new family member to you family. You never know, you next loyal family member and best friend might be waiting for you there. I know my grandparents did (they found alot..haha). Sometimes I think I love dogs too much. That is all I ever talk about. I think I could write a book...I just keep going on and on. I think I need to sum this up since it is getting pretty long. haha! I can't wait to find a Autistic girl or boy to give a puppy to because I want to share the same love and joy that I share with Charlotte everyday with them. I used to be very shy but I am starting to get better. I only have one (person) friend and that is my friend Shelby. She seems to get me and she is the best friend I have ever had. I can act crazy and silly around her and it does'nt bother me. I have gotten alot more outgoing since I have grown older. I still do not like making new friends. I also like dogs more than most people.  We love the same music and we both love animals. Shelby is awesome. My Mom is also awesome and the most beautiful Mom in the world. She is the most amazing woman in the world and so kind. She always is thinking about others before herself. I love her and I am so glad she is my Mom!!  Thank you for taking the time to read this long paragraph..I hope I gave everyone some good information and hope you enjoyed it!! Thank you!

~Katy~