Mother gets leash of life after arrival of Russet

GETTING an assistant dog has given Mary White, the mother of an autistic child, a new ‘leash’ on life.

Ms White’s nine-year-old son, Eamon, is moderately autistic and, until Russet, a 20-month-old female golden retriever, arrived in their home four weeks ago, going out was always a struggle.

The Whites from Terenure, Dublin, are one of 30 families across Ireland to benefit from the Irish Guide dogs for the Blind’s (IGDB) Assistance Dogs Programme for families of children with autism.

The dogs for children with autism work by being physically connected to the child but controlled by the parent.

As well as enjoying the dog’s companionship, research has shown the children are calmer, more focused and more aware of their social environment.

Parents, like Ms White, also find that having an assistant dog has made them more relaxed and improved their peace of mind.

Yesterday the programme got a huge Christmas boost when Minister for Education, Mary Hanafin, announced that the Department of Education and Science was providing €500,000 in financial support.

Ms Hanafin visited Ballyowen Meadows Special School in Stillorgan, Dublin, where Eamon is a pupil and she saw at first hand how the dogs worked.

Chairman of the IGDB, Tom Alpin, said the grant from the department was timely as they were planning to extend the assistant dogs programme.

“Our aim is to double training capacity to 40 families per year within the next two years. We have a waiting list of over 80 families and it is our intention to ensure that the time spent waiting for this valuable service is minimised,” he said.

Ms White, a mother of four, said that until Russet arrived, Eamon was only happy when he was at home or at school. Because Eamon was anti-social, the Whites hardly ever went out anywhere as a family.

Now when Eamon goes out he is much calmer.

While Eamon is attached to Russet by a belt around his waist that is attached to the dog’s jacket, Ms White holds a long lead from the dog’s collar and is in charge of the dog/child team.

“It has the effect of calming Eamon down in situations that are new to him.”

* www.guidedogs.ie.