Our Journey with Dusty during Lockdown

Dusty the Assistance Dog has been part of our family since March 2017.I have 2 Children both diagnosed with Autism. My older boy who is now 18 years old is high functioning, very bright but finds social interaction difficult. My younger child Caolan has Autism, severe learning disabilities and Dusty was allocated to him by the charity.

Prior to lockdown Dusty, Caolan and I were able to visit coffee shops and Tesco’s. I could not have taken Caolan out to these places without Dusty as he remains a “runner” and it would have been unsafe.

Caolan is 16 years old, has the Speech and language development of a 2-year-old. He has no concept of what lock down means. His world is getting smaller as he gets older. The one saving grace for our family during lockdown has been Dusty. In the first few weeks of lockdown, there was a notice from Government that Children and Adults with Disabilities could exercise at Parks and beaches.

A letter for us to do so was provided by our Social worker. The first time I took Caolan to a local beach I was scared. Having Dusty with us was a godsend. The Police were there asking People why they were there. The Police seen Dusty with her assistance dog coat on and just kindly waved at us. This meant the world to me because Caolan would only have seen them as strangers in our space and he would have had increased anxiety.

We can get out for walks which is amazing because Caolan believes he is walking Dusty. With his condition he needs a purpose, reason to go out. He has no concept of going for a walk for exercise! When we are out Dusty is visible, so people naturally stay out of our way. Without Dusty Caolans mental health and anxiety would have increased dramatically. Its an impossible task to tell a child with Caolans complex needs that he has to social distance and that he can go nowhere. I firmly believe that if we had not got Dusty during lockdown Caolan would have had to be hospitalised with challenging behaviour and deteriorating mental health.

Dusty has such a positive impact on us as a family during this time. My older boy has a close bond with Dusty and walks her daily. This keeps him in a routine, and I do not believe he would be out of the house for walks if Dusty wasn’t here. This is his exercise too and I believe helps with his mental health and wellbeing.

As any mum can relate when the Special Needs schools closed, I was overwhelmed and thought how I am going to care for Caolan every day. I myself suffer from anxiety and a mental health condition which in the past I have been hospitalised.

All I can say honestly is that Dusty has got us through this time. I can keep Caolan busy in the house with little jobs like getting Dusty her dinner bowl, getting her food ready, joining in kicking a ball. Simple activities and play  with Dusty that keep Caolans mind busy.

Dusty has been a positive impact on our lives during lockdown, emotionally, mentally, psychologically and on our physical health. It makes us appreciate the charity more than ever as our family without Dusty during lockdown would be in a very dark and challenging place.

Sandra (Mother) May 2020