Becoming a child’s best friend
Assistance dogs can come in all shapes and sizes — mixed breeds, golden retrievers, labradors.
I came across a Newfoundland/golden retriever cross recently that I’d love to meet. He had changed the lives of a family who had a child with autism.
Eleven-year-old Alan Carrigan has cerebral palsy. He says of his assistance dog, “Brandy is my best pal. He’s brilliant. Everyone in my family loves him but he’s my buddy. He can open doors for me, pick up things when I drop them and he even helps me take off my socks. Most importantly he gets me out and about.”
Alan’s dog was trained and supplied by Irish Dogs For the Disabled, which was founded in 2007. Graham Norton is an enthusiastic celebrity supporter of the organisation.
Their assistance dogs are specially trained to help physically disabled children and adults with a range of practical tasks that will allow them to achieve greater independence.
But like all the best relationships, it’s not all one-way. The client — and their families — must be prepared to meet their dogs’ needs with exercising, feeding and general love and care. This in turn encourages their owner to be more active and outgoing in the community. The increased confidence this brings about can often encourage people to take up new activities. or even return to work and education.
A successful match of a dog to its new owner is only accomplished after much hard work and co-operation on the part of many people. The careful training of both human and dog that this requires doesn’t come cheap. And yet the transformation such dedicated canine companionship can make to the lives of people who are often isolated and dependent can be quite extraordinary.
Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland was formed by a group of concerned dog lovers and citizens in Mallow, Co Cork. I spoke to the organisation’s dog trainer, Nuala Geraghty, who spent several years with Irish Guide Dogs For The Blind.
* Nuala, how long has Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland been in operation?
>> We set up five years ago because we realised how great the need was and from the beginning, we were bombarded with people who wanted trained dogs. It’s very labour intensive and costly to train a pup and to get the family ready for their new family member.
* Where do you get your dogs from? I imagine they have to meet some pretty stiff criteria.
>>Some people donate pups, and we breed our own. I had hoped we might be able to use rescue dogs, but this doesn’t always work out because there’s no way of knowing just what a rescue pup has endured which might affect their future behaviour. All our dogs have to be absolutely bomb-proof. Those dogs that don’t make it through training are re-homed as companion dogs.
* What happens after you’ve found the right puppy?
>> At first, the puppy goes to a foster family, and by the way, we urgently need caring families who will keep a pup for 12 to 15 months when the real training starts. The foster families ensure that the dog learns the basic commands, is well socialised and used to many different situations. The dog is fitted with one of our special jackets and learns to work with the harness which will eventually be attached to the child.
* There are obviously lots for the dog to learn. But what about the families?
>> They have to learn things like not to give the dog human food, or feed it from the table and not to let the dog get up on the furniture. The dogs have been trained to respond to a whistle before they are allowed to have their food, and this is how we train them to recall, so we have to make sure that’s working as well.
* I would imagine that introducing the child to the dog and the harness, which attaches them together, must be a very significant moment.
>> Before that happens, parents come to Mallow for training. It’s a crash course, and we ensure that they have the vocal commands to control the dog, and that they understand the signals for right and left and so on. They also have to be prepared to keep up the dog’s training. We visit them regularly and we are always there at the other end of the phone if they need help. The attachment is a big moment. I concentrate on the dog while the parents concentrate on their child. And it is absolutely amazing how the dogs instinctively sense what they have to do.
* You must have seen some huge changes in the lives of the families you’ve worked with.
>> It’s been a whole new lease of life for many people. One mother told me that she had began to avoid the shops altogether because there was such a danger of her son running out into traffic while she was trying to pay. It’s simple things like this that make such an enormous difference to the lives of people who are often under huge pressure.
* How much does it cost to raise and train a dog?
>> About €15,000 a dog. Families frequently help with fund-raising and our fantastic volunteers organise flag days and other activities. Now we have our new charity shop in Mallow, and we are hoping that will make a big difference. Our first calendars and Christmas cards will be on sale there soon too, so we encourage everyone to pay us a visit.
