What difference does your pet make to your life? For many of us, we couldn't imagine a life without our furry friends, but for Jess her dream of owning a dog is finally becoming a reality.
Jess is an accomplished author, a voice for people with disability, a volunteer with the charity Guide Dogs and an advocate of the message 'it's okay to be different.' Oh, and she also has a learning disability. For Jess, she wanted nothing more than to give love and care to a dog, which came with a few challenges.
After listening to another young lady with a disability, who had faced challenges with her health speak about the difference a dog had made to her life, Jo, Jess’ mum began to think that the idea of Jess’ owning a dog may be a possibility.
Writing about her thoughts following the talk, Jo explains:
"After a lot of thinking, the idea of Jess having a dog became more of a reality. So, I spoke to her (Jess') dad and the rest of the family. I went into the MacIntyre office and spoke to them; everyone I spoke to, many who knew Jess, said 'what an amazing idea, Jess would be great'. I thought why shouldn’t Jess have that chance, just because she has a disability why should she be denied something that would make her so very happy?”
Now with support and training from MacIntyre’s Head of Finance, Julie, Jess’ new puppy Pip is learning every day and is set to be united with Jess very soon.
