It has been more than two years in the making but 11-year-old Corey Gordon finally has his best mate by his side.
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Gordy the autism assistance dog arrived at the East Albury family home on Monday and mother Belinda said she has already seen a difference in her son.
"It is incredible that he is finally here but there has already been a change in Corey's behaviour - he has been such a happy and talkative boy this past week," she told The Border Mail.
"Our very expensive assistance dog is here but it wouldn't have been possible without the help of the community."
The not-for-profit organisation provides trained service dogs to assist children with special needs and hand-picked Gordy as the perfect fit for Corey.
"The wait for him to finally get here was a challenge," Mrs Moore said.
"Once Corey knew he was accepted and they were selecting an assistance dog for him he was just so excited for him to finally get here.
"We had a trainer down here with us for the week who helped us go through the commands and the routine for Gordy.
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"Corey was so talkative all week which is such a difference for him - normally we don't have much of a relationship but even in the past seven days he has wanted to talk and walk with the dog with me.
"It has built a bridge between us and brought us closer which is pretty incredible in just the short amount of time.
"The community has been quite accepting when we have had him out and about with Corey.
"The hardest thing is making sure people don't pet him while he is working but with his harness and uniform he wears people are quite understanding and parents do the right thing when their children go to pet him."
Mrs Moore is the handler for Gordy when her and Corey are out in the community but said her role will decrease over time.
"I have to slowly move out of the picture as Corey gets more confident and a bit older," she said.
"Gordy only has eyes for him and will eventually be just his dog."
When asked what he loves most about Gordy, Corey simply said "he is my friend".
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