My Assistance Dog, Lila.
Meet Lila, the dog that inspired me to start my own business and the reason I want to help other dogs!
I bought Lila in 2021 and began training her to be my Assistance Dog.
When people meet Lila they usually comment two things. Firstly that they thought Boxers were untrainable and secondly that they have never met a Boxer Assistance Dog before!
While Boxers are not your typical assistance dogs, they are very intelligent and with the right handling they can be trained to work in a variety of roles. In the past they have been used as Police Dogs, military dogs in WW2 and as guide dogs for the blind.
Lila knows just over 60 commands, including a variety of tasks, obedience cues and tricks. Her favourite trick is Hoop Jumps where she jumps through my arms!
Her most vital task is Deep Pressure Therapy (DPT) which she performs when she senses my anxiety levels are rising.
My proudest moment with Lila comes under sad circumstances. In April this year, my 25-year-old brother Nathan suddenly died of acute viral Myocarditis. It was unexpected and a complete shock to the whole family. I was very close to Nathan and consequently became anxious with grief.
Lila changed from her bouncy self into an unusually quiet dog. She refused to leave my side and – without me saying anything – started performing DPT more often.
DPT is shown to reduce heart rate, relax muscles and improve circulation. This gives an overall sense of calm.
In the darkest moments of my life Lila has been there for me. She gives me hope and a reason to get up in the morning. Lila senses when I’m struggling and leans in as if to say, “It’s okay mum, I’m here”.
To many people she’s just a dog, but to me she’s a wander-dog. A true superhero. I adore her.
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