Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
‘A special dog transformed the life of our autistic son’
Mum-of-three Suzy Ward reveals how a Labrador trained by a National Lottery-supported charity has given teenager Eoin a new future…
LOYAL and loving Labrador Leo proves that a dog is a boy’s best friend – especially when that boy is challenged by autism.
Just ask Suzy Ward, whose 14-year-old autistic son Eoin also has Down’s syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Having assistance dog Leo by his side has helped him with the agitation and attention issues he faces.
“He’s so much happier,” says Suzy, explaining the challenges Eoin lives with: “My wee boy has a big heart and I love him to bits, but he’s always on the go, has a very short attention span and can be pretty noisy.”
The mother-of-three from Londonderry adds: “He also has communication difficulties – he makes lots of noises but can’t talk so finds social interaction very difficult. Life is very frustrating for Eoin, so occasionally he can get aggressive and lash out. You have to be on your guard the whole time.”
Suzy, a nurse practitionerturned-full time carer and her husband Conor struggled to make life easier for Eoin and the rest of the family.
Then they heard how children like Eoin could benefit from the company of specially trained assistance dogs. So they turned to the charity Assistance Dogs Northern Ireland (ADNI) for help.
With such animals being in high demand, the couple had to join the waiting list. But at the start of the year, they took delivery of Leo, a lovely black Labrador puppy – thanks in part to The National Lottery, which has helped to fund the ADNI for the last five years. The ADNI is just one of the many causes benefiting from the £30million* you help raise every week by buying your National Lottery ticket.
An assistance dog is usually trained by a foster carer for a year before going to a family with an autistic child. The waiting time can be around four years, as it’s difficult to find carers. But dog lovers Suzy and Conor joined the ADNI family member fostering programme, where families train a puppy with ADNI’S help. The waiting list is shorter, so Leo came to Eoin after only two years.
FIRST FRIEND
Shirley, an ADNI dog trainer, helped teach Leo to respond to Eoin. She also taught the family how to ensure Leo was entirely focused on Eoin when they went for a walk, and not distracted by other dogs and people.
Eight months on, Eoin is a changed boy. “The transformation in my son since we got Leo is unbelievable,” says Suzy.
“Eoin accepted Leo straight away and he’s become his first friend – my boy never really had a friend before. The two of them are together all day long, and Eoin will sit down with Leo for 10 minutes at a time, allowing me to relax with a cup of tea – something I’d never been able to do before.”
Taking Eoin out is also easier, because he focuses on Leo, and isn’t concerned by background noise and movement. “Amazingly, if we’re in the car and Eoin tries to take off his seatbelt – he hates wearing it – Leo will just lie across his legs and stop him getting up,” says Suzy. “Until Leo arrived, we sometimes had to stop the car on a busy road, which was so dangerous.”
Wonder dog Leo has also been good for the entire family’s mental wellbeing – and having Leo with them during lockdown was a godsend. “I don’t know how we would have got through it without him because Eoin’s support services were temporarily stopped,” says Suzy.
“I’ll be for ever grateful to the players of The National Lottery for the financial support they have provided ADNI,” she adds. “I couldn’t imagine life without Leo.”
Eoin will sit with Leo for minutes at a time, so I can relax with a cup of tea... something I’d never done