Dogs in demand: girl with Asperger’s has had her life transformed

Honey knows that if Rebecca Baker gets upset her job is to lie on top of the eight-year-old and lick her until she calms down. If she senses any danger Honey sits down to anchor Rebecca to the spot until the danger passes. The pair, like many childhood friends, are inseparable. And according to Rebecca’s mum, Michelle Barker, Honey has transformed her daughter’s life.

Rebecca, who is from Cullybackey, near Ballymena in Co Antrim, has Asperger's syndrome, and in January last year she was matched with Honey, a golden retriever from Assistance Dogs Northern Ireland.

Honey was from the first litter of pups trained by Autism Spectrum Disorder Initiatives, so she is one of the first autism assistance dogs in Northern Ireland. The organisation currently has a seven-year waiting list, as it relies on fundraising and volunteer workers to train dogs, says Ann McGaughey.

“We find that the applications are predominantly for children with autism, where families who have reached a diagnosis are searching on the internet for interventions that will help their children,” she says.

Assistance dogs are particularly helpful for children with autism, as they prevent anxiety, increase confidence and self-esteem and keep children with autism safe by alerting them to danger. “Whenever you see a child being matched with a dog, it is magic,” she says.

Rebecca’s mum says the dog has changed their family life. “Before Honey we were a family that never went very far, and we were very limited, but now we’re always somewhere,” she says. Now Rebecca wears a backpack when she’s out that attaches to Honey’s harness, and the dog is trained to act as an anchor by sitting down if Rebecca’s in danger.

"She's so much more confident and willing to go to places she's never been before," her mother says. "She's a physical and an emotional anchor for Rebecca. I don't know if Honey's getting more like Rebecca or if she's getting more like Honey.

“Rebecca’s fascinated with windmills, and all windmills should spin in her eyes. There’s a windmill you can see from our house, and Honey will bark to tell Rebecca when it stops. The bond the two of them have is unreal. Honey keeps her safe and calm. She’s a friend who loves her unconditionally.”

She says Honey has become an extension of Rebecca. “It’s been unbelievable since we got Honey; she really has saved Rebecca’s life,” she says. “When one’s there, the other’s not too far behind. Rebecca calls Honey her fluffy sister.”

Irish dogs abroad

Hundreds of Irish-trained assistance dogs are being sent overseas to help people with disabilities, autism and diabetes.

Michael Henry of Service Dogs Ireland, in Co Louth, says that only about a tenth of the dogs they train stay in Ireland.

“Primarily our dogs are sent to the UK, but we also have dogs in France, Germany, Austria, Poland, Singapore and serving overseas with the United Nations.”

Most assistance dogs are trained to work with people with autism or diabetes or who suffer seizures. They also help people with hearing or mobility issues, Down syndrome, or psychological disorders.

Ireland’s first allergy-alert dog, which is being trained in Cork, will learn to alert its owner when it senses scents in food and environments that can trigger an anaphylactic reaction.

About 360 dogs have been trained since Service Dogs Ireland was set up, three years ago. “The word is going out, and the level of need is absolutely incredible,” says Henry.

Published as part of Impact Journalism Day, June 20th, 2015