A young Paterson boy who has autism was surprised with a service dog Monday afternoon.

Yulissa Delince says that she treats her 2-year-old son Angel with many different kinds of therapy to help with his severe autism. But she says that it is sometimes difficult to find the right one.

Angel’s doctor recently suggested that he get a dog to help with his therapy.

“I want to see my baby laughing and playing with the dog,” Delince says. 

After some help from a Paterson City Council member and the Paterson Animal Control, Angel met his new companion. 

“It makes me feel great. The holidays are approaching and people need to get out there and give, special people like this that are in need,” says chief animal control officer John DeCando.

The hope is that Angel will learn empathy, communication and improve his social skills through the dog.