A boy’s best friend
Worried sick, Joanne Gill, 48, from Carlisle, discovered the solution she was looking for had four paws and a wet nose
He lay on the floor stroking the golden fur – calm, content
Walking through the park, I sucked in a breath of fresh, clean air, and felt all my worries draining away.
Then a figure appeared beside me, tugging on my sleeve.
My son Jake, 10, was hovering nervously.
Diagnosed with autism at 8, Jake struggled in crowded or public places and suffered from anxiety.
While his big brother Ben, 13, bounced around happily, Jake was scared.
It broke my heart to see him on edge, unhappy. And he was getting worse.
So in December 2015, my husband Simon, 49, and I began researching online, looking for solutions.
‘Look,’ I said, passing the laptop to Simon.
‘What a great idea,’ he replied. I’d stumbled on Autism Assistance Dogs, a charity that trains canines to provide safety and companionship for children with autism.
My only worry was that dogs never seemed to calm Jake. Would it work for my boy?
I wasn’t sure – until December 2015, on a visit to Simon’s parents, Pat, 75, and Richard, 79...
They had two golden retrievers, Frodo and Freeway.
Arriving, Jake was in crisis, not coping with the change of scenery or why we had to stay in a different house. But when he laid eyes on the dogs, it was almost like an instant soothing effect.
He lay on the floor, just stroking Freeway’s fluffy, golden fur back and forth – calm, content.
I’d never seen him like it.
‘We have to do this, we have to get him a dog,’ I said, turning to Simon.
We decided to go for it. If getting a dog would make Jake happy, then it’d be worth it! Ben had no complaints, either. But when we looked into it, we hit a snag. Training an Autism Assistance Dog cost around £5,000, a price we could hardly afford.
So we turned to The Royal British Legion for help.
Simon and I had met serving in the Royal Military Police in Northern Ireland, in 1992, and the Legion helped out Armed Forces families like ours. In January 2016, we told them about our dilemma. Soon after, good news... The Legion offered to cover the majority of the costs. Next, we contacted a local trainer, Rachel, whose dog was due to give birth any day. And when the puppies were 6 weeks old, we went to see them.
Jake dashed straight over to a little boy puppy with the softest yellow fur. ‘Look, Mum!’ Jake shouted, full of excitement.
It was love at first sight for us all. And seeing Jake so happy warmed my heart. ‘I think we’d like to have him,’ I smiled to Rachel. We called him Rigby. Over the next few months, as Rigby went through his training, we saw him every three weeks and slowly introduced him to our home.
Then, in October 2016, when Rigby was 9 months old, we were able to take him home.
The change in Jake was nothing short of magical.
Gone are his mood swings and he’s less anxious about leaving the house.
Jake is more than happy to take Rigby out and is much calmer in public spaces with his furry friend by his side.
Now 13, Jake and Rigby share a very special bond.
It’s amazing to see how far he’s come.
This June, The Royal British Legion announced they were releasing a toy version of Rigby, with funds raised going towards supporting families like ours.
It’s wonderful knowing that anyone can now own their own version of Rigby!
I hope he can open up the world to other kids, just as he did for Jake.