A BUNDLE OF THERAPY

HAVING BELLA HAS CHANGED MY LIFE COMPLETELY. SHE HAS ENABLED ME TO GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF MY SYMPTOMS AND NEW CONFIDENCE IN DEALING EFFECTIVELY WITH THEM.

On Christmas day I registered with Bichon Frise Rescue UK, after losing my own little Bichon. We were lucky enough to rescue Bella as a tiny pup aged 20 weeks. She was timid, shy, skinny, very unkempt and smelly, and extremely fearful of humans. We were not allowed to see her beforehand, but we were determined she was coming home with us, no matter what.

From the day we collected her she slept next to me. During the night she would lick my left ear and then lick the back of my neck - we soon made the connection she was actively waking me up from a nightmare. When she licked my ear, it was to wake me, she calmed me down by licking my neck. That’s when I realised what a special and empathetic little soul she was and that I needed her as much as she needed me.

Bella passed her assessment for Pets as Therapy aged 9 months. We went on to work in special needs schools, mainstream schools, hospitals (ITU, CCU, A&E, Children’s wards, and palliative care) even going into the anaesthetics room with the child until they were put under. Bella always snuggled in closely. During those visits Bella demonstrated a real comfort and calmness, easing many peoples stresses and anxieties.

I served in the military for 14 years on Tanks with 14/20th Kings Hussars. I have CPTSD and have struggled over the years with anxiety and anger. I was finally diagnosed in 2018. I was fortunate to be counselled by the NHS Transition Intervention Liaison Service (TILS), now known as Operation Courage. Bella was present throughout my 30 sessions and helped to bring me comfort and a sense of wellbeing. I see her as part of a team, in many ways my co-worker. She remains an important part of my healing process. Bella has made such a difference to me.

In recognition of Bella’s ability to help me, I knew I needed to share her incredible therapeutic qualities with fellow veterans also suffering with their mental health. I wrote to Combat Stress offering our services and we are now accepted as part of the clinical therapeutic team. Prior to COVID we would make monthly visits, sometimes more often, if required. The unit re-opened in July 2022 for continued residential care.

When Veterans are starting their course of treatment, they can feel an array of emotions including apprehension, fear, anger, and sadness. Some have dogs at home whom they miss dearly. Bella appears able to sense who needs support the most and approach them first. If they wish to pet Bella, she will sit with them for as long as they desire, often giving deep pressure therapy, a method of helping the veteran to feel a sense of calm. If a veteran does not feel at the stage where they wish to interact, Bella moves on to the next person. Her demeanour and temperament help them to relax.

We sit with the veterans, gauge the atmosphere, and when appropriate we chat, laugh, joke, and enjoy the old familiar military banter - something that feels so comforting to anyone who is ex-military. We soon establish a rapport to help veterans through the first stages of treatment by means of effective communication. Bella’s visits can indeed be the start of a talking point for some veterans and is viewed as a very positive approach to treatment.

The team at Combat Stress are incredible in their care and compassion for veterans. However as with most charities there is little financial help available, so when we are not at the treatment centre, we fundraise and promote awareness at our local Sainsburys and Morrisons stores and annually at the Eastbourne International Air Show.

With guidance from Psychiatric Dogs UK, Bella undertook extensive training to reach the required standards to become an owner trained PTSD Assistance Dog. Bella demonstrated her effectiveness from her training in her ability to care for me on several occasions during the early years. I had a panic attack in the town which was extremely busy with shoppers. I could feel my heart pounding and felt unable to breathe. She picked up on this very quickly, by edging me towards a wall where I knelt. She placed her paws on my knees and did not break eye contact with me. I was able to concentrate on her eyes until I felt grounded in the moment. I now only point to my eyes, and she will sit patiently giving me effective eye contact. She is my grounding tool.

Indeed, Bella has helped me gain a degree of inner resilience and a sense of acceptance of my past. With Bella’s support and encouragement, I am now capable of going to places that I would have previously avoided. Having Bella has changed my life completely. She has enabled me to gain a better understanding of my symptoms and a new confidence in dealing effectively with them.

Bella loves her life. She loves meeting people, when working in her ‘pets as therapy’ role she loves the cuddles and all the treats. Bella walks proudly with me in her PTSD role and instantly knows which uniform determines which job she is undertaking. Bella and I also volunteer at Raystede Animal Sanctuary, and we are currently in talks about volunteering as part of the Family Educational Team.

Bella is the kindest, cutest, most sensitive and loving little dog. She is loved very much and is a treasured family member. She has virtually grown up with our 9-year-old granddaughter. She is besotted with people and dogs alike.

She enjoys the beach and running on the sand. She adores the park, watching birds and chasing them around the fields. Bella loves our regular trips to a London hospital on the train, staying in hotels, visiting the Shard, and sitting on their posh sofa, having photographs taken with the staff and manager.

Through Bella’s work at Combat Stress, we were fortunate enough to meet a young veteran who was in residence for treatment. However, we were unable to attend on a prearranged date due to a family issue that occurred during the night, so we rescheduled for the end of the week. The young lad wrote on a social media about how sad he was that Bella had been unable to visit as planned as he’d had a difficult session in therapy. When we finally arrived at the centre, he was thrilled to see Bella and hugged her silently for a long while, buried in his thoughts. He then announced that he needed ‘a Bella’ in his life, that he felt this was what his life was lacking. Following much searching this fine young man was successful in finding a Bichon, he brought her home and now has a little dog who comforts him, as Bella does for me. This felt like such an incredible achievement, knowing he now has ‘a Bella’ to help him through the tough times.

Bella owns a lot of toys, but her favourite is her woollen ball. It’s the size of a football and she carries it to the car and runs home with it after an outing. She will bring it to you, but you can’t have it! It is old and tatty; it has been stitched back together numerous times over the years, but it remains her firm favourite.

She also owns a lick mat which we spread with doggy peanut butter, enabling her to relax whilst enjoying a treat. She loves it, spending up to 30 minutes at a time concentrating on getting every last bit of the peanut butter. Bella also loves doggy ice-cream, and in the summer, she walks toward the ice-cream hut on the beach and waits patiently for me and Bella’s mum to catch up. She then demonstrates her best ‘please’, by sitting up smiling with her tongue hanging out and holding her left paw up. How could anyone refuse?

The power of dogs! All dogs are therapy – it’s just that some are undercover.

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