By Georgia King.
Blew is a grey French Bulldog who is owned by the manager of housing at Sir James Knott House, she often brings her in when she is on shift. Blew will normally sit in the office and greet all the visitors of the building and she is often welcomed with a smile from most.
Blew is great with the residents and there have been a few occasions where she has helped to diffuse a situation by making the resident feel calm and comfortable. Service dog training focuses on helping people with certain mental illnesses, such as:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Panic attacks
- Bipolar disorders
- Schizophrenia
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Agoraphobia
- Social phobias
And they can pick up on signs and symptoms of anxiety attacks before they start, distract you during an anxiety attack so that you can calm down or apply physical pressure with its body to help calm you down. Blew loves to go on walks with our residents which can get them out of the building, experience some fresh air and clear their heads of any current worries or anxieties.
At Sir James Knott House, we house a group of young unaccompanied asylum seekers aged from 16 to 18 years old. Most of these young people are scared of domestic dogs and find that the animals are viewed differently in their home countries. Blew helps to teach young people how domestic dogs are treated in this country and can break down the barrier of having a phobia of certain animals.
We do this by slowly introducing how to handle dogs and making them feel comfortable around them. In the Muslim religion, some view dogs as unclean, so they have their own set view. Especially when they have to fast/pray. This also gives us the opportunity to learn why they have these views so we can understand them better.
So, next time you visit Sir James Knott House, be sure to say hello to Blew. She’s always ready to make a new friend!
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