How can dogs make a difference?

Dogs don’t see a person with a complex life or a disability they just see someone to love, someone they want to ‘show off for’, someone they want to please.

Sometimes the more complex the person, the more you see the dogs change. They modify their behaviour, they may become quiet or they may act sillier. They often push themselves into the person's space and get gently in their faces, if someone is crying they will lick away the tears.

My dog Tiny did this to someone that we support at one of our events. I think that everyone that was in the room at the time had tears in their eyes, as the person we support finally stopped crying and just buried their face in Tiny’s coat; holding on to her for comfort. They had been very stressed and she provided the outlet needed.

I have trained a number of dogs as assistance dogs for adults and children with autism, so Jo Jess’s mum first approached me a year ago looking for my thoughts on Jess getting a dog.

I completed several risk assessments with Jess and family, one of which was, did she pass the 'Tiny test'?

Jess had to handle and get to know my dog Tiny and by watching Tiny’s body language I can assess how comfortable she is with a person, I wouldn’t take on anyone that Tiny isn’t comfortable with having round her. Tiny loves Jess, so we moved forward.