Cowboy & Wills by Monica Holloway
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Wills is a sweet, loveable, young boy. He is also very smart. However, Wills has high-functioning autism. His developmental stages were delayed and that's when Monica and Michael realized something was quite right. After much testing, he was diagnosed. This was a devastating blow to Monica and Michael. Michael was offered an amazing job in Chicago and in order for the family to survive financially, he took it. That meant that Monica was left to work with Wills mostly on her own.

Wills began seeing a therapist which was a great help to both him and his mom. Monica developed a habit of buying pets whenever Wills had a bad day. With Wills about to start Kindergarten, those bad days came more often then not. The house was filled with hamsters, turtles, fish, a rabbit, and then eventually, a dog. Cowboy was a beautiful dog and because of her, Wills began to do things that he would normally never do. He was able to talk to strangers and classmates; it was ok for him to get dirty, and he became more confident. Wills and Cowboy were inseparable and that was a very good thing. Cowboy loved Wills and the entire household. When she became sick, the family was distraught. They did everything they medically could to help her but it wasn't enough. Even though Wills lost his special friend, he gained a love that showed no bounds. That puppy brought Wills into the world like no one else could.

Opinion

This is a love story like none I ever read before. It is a beautiful story of a friendship not just between a boy and his dog, but between the dog and the family. Wills was struggling with all aspects of social development and Cowboy was able to provide him with a security that he didn't feel otherwise. To be fair, Wills' progress wasn't solely due to the dog; he found a school that would teach him in the best way possible for his learning capabilities. He had an aide to help with school, a therapist that provided methods and advice to his parents, and two loving parents that would do anything and everything for him.

When Cowboy became seriously ill, Wills was told the truth each step of the way. When she passed on, Wills was understandably upset but he didn't regress. In fact, he was able to share his grief with his friends at school and accept their sympathy. This may not seem like much, but for Wills, it was a milestone. This extraordinary dog was a gift for Wills, but she gave Wills so much more than anyone ever expected.

Discussion Questions:

1. Cowboy helped Wills in extraordinary ways. Do you believe in pet therapy?
2. If you were Monica, would you have been so accepting that your husband lived in a different state while you were home raising a child with high-functioning autism?
3. Did you ever have a pet that meant this much to you?

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