So if we come home, and we're feeling great, the dog instinctively picks up—You feel great. 所以如果我们回到家，而且我们心情很好，狗儿直觉地注意到－－你心情很好。

That means you're gonna play with me. And if we're feeling less than great, and especially if we're feeling down and depressed, 那代表你会陪我玩。但如果我们心情不太好，而且特别是我们感到低落又沮丧时，

the dog will feel, You're looking a bit low. I think I'll just come over quietly and sit down beside you. 狗儿会感受到：你看起来有点低落。我想我还是安静地过来在你旁边坐下吧。

So they can pick up our feelings and emotions. 所以他们可以了解我们的感受和情绪。

What that means is that there's mute communication between the two species. 那所代表的东西是有种无需言语的沟通存在两种物种之间。

You don't have to articulate in words the way you and I have to talk about things. 你不必用像你和我讲事情那样的方式来用言语表达。

Dog will understand how we feel, because it just picks up something about our body language. 狗儿就会明白我们感觉如何，因为它就是了解关于我们肢体语言的一些东西。

Nowhere is this more important than with service or assistance dogs. 没有任何地方比这里对服务犬或协助犬来说更重要了。

Unlike other service dog and guide dog providers, when you're dealing with autism, 不像其他服务犬和导盲犬的提供者，当你处理的是自闭症时，

you need dogs that are very, very calm, very quiet, very laid-back. 你需要非常、非常沉着冷静、非常安静、非常自在的狗。

So we, over the last sixteen years, have been working towards breeding really calm, very relaxed, easygoing dogs. 所以我们在过去的十六年中一直致力于培育十分沉着、非常放松、好相处的狗儿。

Chester joined our family six weeks ago. And he's from National Service Dogs, so he is officially NSD Chester. Chester 在六星期前加入我们的家庭。而他是来自全国服务犬协会，所以它是正式的 NSD Chester。

He is two and a half years old, and he's a lab retriever mix. Max was diagnosed with autism at the age of thirty-two months. 它两岁半，而它是只混种拉不拉多犬(注一)。Max 在三十二个月大时被诊断出自闭症。

When we got Chester, one of the first things I really look forward to doing with Max was going for a walk. 当我们得到 Chester 时，我非常期待和 Max 一起做的首要事之一是去散个步。

Because at the age of six, I've never really been able to go for walk with Max; 因为从他六岁起，我就从没真正能和 Max 一起散步过；

because what he does, like many children with autism, is he bores. 因为他做的事，就像许多有自闭症的孩子一样，是他觉得无趣。

So, for him, it's a very fun game to run away from you. 所以，对他来说，从你身边跑走就是个非常好玩的游戏。

With Chester's vest that he wears, he has a hookup, and there's a handle that Max holds on to. 有了 Chester 穿着的背心， 它有一条狗链，而那有一个 Max 可以握住的把手。

So the first time we went out for a walk by ourselves, Chester was an all-star, and Max was just so thrilled to be out with his dog. 我们第一次自己出去散步时，Chester 像是个大明星，而 Max 就是超级兴奋能和他的狗一起出去。

He never dropped the handle once. 他从未扔下把手一次过。

One other thing that Max does to cope—when he's frustrated, or express his frustration—is to strike out. 另一个 Max 处理事情会做的事是－－当他感到挫折，或表达他的沮丧时－－是他会用力打。

And, you know, it's hard, you know, to have your child striking you. 而且，你知道，这很难受，你要知道，让你自己的孩子打着你。

We brought Chester home, and that aggression and frustration just disappeared. 我们把 Chester 带回家，而那种攻击性和挫折感就消失了。

Now that we have Chester here for six weeks, and Max has stopped. 而今我们有 Chester 在这六星期了，Max 就停下来了。

Do they still have outbursts? Yes, but there are fewer. 他们还是有情绪爆发吗？有，但比较少了。

They're less intense, and they die down faster. 那些爆发比较不激烈，而且它们平息得较快。

Many of the dogs, once they're bonded with their kids, will anticipate those anxiety levels building. 许多狗儿会预测到那些焦虑程度增加，一旦它们和它们的小朋友建立起情感来。

Chester sleeps with him. And since Chester came home, you know, we don't get outburst in the middle of the night any more. Chester 和他一起睡。而且自从 Chester 来家里后，你知道，我们不再在大半夜碰到情绪失控的状况。

So Max stays in his bed, and he's got Chester there. Now that he has Chester, he doesn't call out. Max 待在他的床上，而他有 Chester 陪着。现在因为他有 Chester，他就不大叫了。

He might be awake. I don't know, because I am asleep, which is fantastic. And I don't really...I don't worry about Max, because I know that Chester is in there. 他可能醒来。我不知道，因为我睡着了，那真是太好了。而我不完全...我不担心 Max，因为我知道 Chester 在那里面。

I didn't really understand what a blessing Chester would be to a family, and not just to Max, 我那时并未真正了解 Chester 对一个家庭来说会是一份多大的福气，而且不只是对 Max，

but, you know, he very much is a healing balm for a family. 而是，你知道，他算是一个家庭的疗愈慰藉物。

Over the last sixteen, seventeen years, we focused on our autism program, 在过去十六、十七年中，我们专注在我们的自闭症计画上，

and have recently expanded out to train dogs for individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder, specifically veterans. 而最近已经扩展到为有创伤后压力症候群的个人来训练狗，特别是为退役军人。

And we're developing a new program that will put Canine Assisted Intervention dogs into facilities, partnered with doctors, physicians, therapists, 我们正在发展一项把犬只辅助介入计画的狗儿们放置到各个机构中的新计画，将狗儿和医生、治疗师、理疗师搭挡，

so that they can use fully trained service dogs in helping all of their patients, or a collection of their patients in various forms of... 他们就可以用受过完备训练的服务犬来帮助他们所有的病人，或他们各个不同类型的病人们...

whether it's addiction therapy, mental health issues, behavioral issues, and... 无论是成瘾治疗、心理健康问题、行为问题，还有...

so that will expand out the role of our dogs in the coming year. 那会在来年扩展我们狗儿的角色。