A letter from Ali
HI!
We thought you might like a little bit of background to Hope’s Therapy Dog, so that you can see where we began and why we are so passionate about our mission.
I come from a family of dog lovers and have always had a dog in my home. It wasn’t until 2016 though, that I really learnt about the power of the Therapy Dog! My daughter, Hope, then aged 7, was diagnosed with a brain tumour. During her treatment, she met Callie and her handler, Sue. Callie was a beautiful Border Collie, who gave Hope the confidence and motivation to cope with gruelling radiotherapy (11 full weeks in total!). It was Callie who taught me about the power of the human-animal bond.
We’d promised Hope a Therapy Dog of her own when she was in remission. Unfortunately, we were hit with the news that Hope had relapsed. Not knowing really what to do, we sought advice from her Oncologist who told us to go ahead. We did get Hope her Therapy Dog, Pippa, who has been the most amazing dog; she is so empathetic, remaining with Hope even on her deathbed.
Hope had asked me to have Pippa formally trained after she died. I did get her trained as a Therapy Dog for ‘Therapy Dogs Nationwide’. Together we visited schools, old people’s homes, and women’s refuges.
In Jan 2019 I took a job as a Therapy Dog handler at a Behavioural Special School. It was a Primary School where the children had Autism, ADHD, and EBD. My remit was to train their 2-year-old working Springer Spaniel and set up the Therapy Dog service at the school. It was an incredibly steep learning curve. There was a lot to learn for both the dog and me but between us, we set up a working Therapy Dog service from the ground up!
At Hope’s Therapy Dogs, our passion is that for a dog to work well, they must enjoy their work and their welfare must be paramount. Dogs are sentient beings and as such feel both joy and pain. It is our responsibility as their working partners to put their well-being as the top priority. By ensuring the welfare of our dogs we also safeguard the children in our care.
As a Certified Animal Assisted Intervention specialist and dog trainer, my expertise, coupled with our team's collective experience in children's mental health, has led to the creation of a customised service designed specifically for the schools we serve. Together, we are driven by a powerful shared purpose. We are confident that by working with us, schools and workplaces are choosing the absolute best in Animal-Assisted emotional and mental health support.
In honour of Hope's enduring spirit, our mission is to support as many children, young people, and adults as possible with the assistance of our Therapy Dogs. We would love to chat with you further about this, so please follow the links below and have a chat with me about how our service can help you.
Lots of love,
Ali xxx