Meet the furry faces empowering children to face their fears

Clodagh always dreaded her hospital appointments.

Since the age of two she struggled due to her anxiety when visiting a cold and sterile environment.

It took a friendly, furry face to bring her calmness.

Now, Clodagh is excited to attend because it means she can spend time with her new canine friend Mia, one of several therapy dogs helping children with medical appointments and school.

Assistance Dogs Northern Ireland (ADNI) provides autism and disability dogs, as well as full-time school assistance dogs across Northern Ireland.

The dogs can be trained to help young people in a variety of different ways. They can help calm those with autism, monitor blood sugar, help at school or help with mobility.

Mia, a four-and-a-half-year-old Labradoodle, was trained to support people with autism.

She visits hospitals, care settings and schools, where her calm nature helps people feel safe, supported and more confident during challenging situations.

For many families, assistance dogs can make an enormous difference.

Karrine Doherty, whose daughter Clodagh is autistic, said Mia has transformed healthcare appointments.

She said she was blown away by the calmness that Mia brought to her daughter on her visits to Altnagelvin Hospital in County Londonderry.

"Clodagh's journey has been complicated since the age of two," Karinne told BBC News NI.

"She was losing hair around school settings, we couldn't get her to attend appointments, and she became house bound for six months.

"We all knew her bloods were low because her appetite was very poor."

Karinne said it was long process to get Clodagh to attend her hospital appointments. But things changed when a specialist recommended Mia.

Karinne said Mia had helped bring an "excitement" to Clodagh's hospital visits.

"Clodagh's experience with animals has changed so much about how I think and see them, they bring unconditional love, and they don't look ask for anything," Karinne said.

She added she has since been inundated with questions about how to access the service from other parents in similar situations.

"It gives me hope, because it helped me realise that Clodagh isn't the only child on this journey."

While most ADNI therapy dogs are used to help children, ADNI CEO Geraldine McCaughey said there has been an increase in autistic adults seeking the help of therapy dogs.

"Autism doesn't stop at 12 years, it's a lifelong condition," she said.

Karen Carlin said her daughter Caoilfhionn has met Mia multiple times to help with anxiety around hospitals and needles.

"Mia has helped Caoilfhionn relax loads, she used to struggle after blood appointments but that's done with now," Karen said.

"I don't think we could've done this without Mia. When we leave, Caoilfhionn will be in full form."

Caoilfhionn said that before meeting Mia she would get very worked up and put up a fight to the point she would have no energy.

"Before Mia, my mummy would take me to a restaurant after getting my bloods done and I would just be sparked out."

Caoilfhionn says that growing up with dogs was one of the main reasons that Mia was able to help her when coming to her appointments.

"I have a miniature schnauzer at home and he's pretty much crazy but he's my favourite snuggle buddy."

Play specialist nurse Cathy Grady said she is pleased to have Mia at the hospital.

"We have always had an awareness of the benefits that service dogs could provide to anxious children, seeing her work with our children is very powerful.

"She calms the children, gains their trust and empowers them to do things that they are very scared of."

Sharon O'Donnell, who works at the hospital, can't praise Mia enough.

"It's services like this that you take for granted but in the minds of a wee child it's invaluable.

"If people want to use this service, they can contact the ward, but it won't be just through Trust funding because the money just isn't there."

Schools are increasingly seeing the benefits of introducing dogs into the classroom.

Tally is the latest such addition, starting work this term at Edenderry Primary School in County Armagh.

The school said therapy dogs can help increase confidence and self-esteem, encourage communication and social interaction, and improve engagement with learning.

"Introducing and maintaining a professionally trained therapy dog is a significant investment. The costs associated with training, healthcare, insurance, equipment and ongoing support are substantial."

McCaughey added that dogs help reassure children.

"We have children who were school refusers bouncing out of bed to see the school pup," she said.

Training usually takes place when a puppy is eight to 12 weeks old.

"Puppies are taken to training classes once a week over the course of a year," McCaughey said.

She explained that ADNI tend to use Labradoodles due to their hypoallergenic nature, and that there are 34 fully-trained dogs working throughout Northern Ireland, with six more in training.

"It's often said we're the best kept secret in Northern Ireland, which hasn't been by choice, we don't have the funding to provide the dogs for free," she said.

McCaughey added that they have noticed a "growing demand" for the service they provide.

She said she is frustrated by a lack of core government funding, especially as she believes that some children are spending less time in hospital thanks to the help of therapy dogs.

"We have saved the NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds."