Accessing the future with confidence
Victoria, Amelie and Paddy
16/09/2025
By Author's name
Story
When Victoria’s daughter, Amelie, told her she 'wished she wasn’t herself' anymore, it was time to rethink everything.
"At the time Amelie hadn't been officially diagnosed as autistic – that came later - but she was really struggling to cope at school and while it's shocking to think of a seven-year-old having a nervous breakdown, that's effectively what happened," says Victoria.
As things came to a head, the decision was made to home school Amelie which was the right thing to do for Amelie, but there was a price to pay. Because Amelie wasn’t able to confidently leave the house, Victoria found their connections to the outside world slowly shutting down. "Even something as simple as going to the shop for a pint of milk was impossible."
Victoria says that from the moment Paddy – a beautiful yellow labrador x golden retriever – joined their family, everything changed.
"Within an hour of Paddy arriving, I felt my anxiety start to decrease just watching them together. I caught myself starting to get excited about the possibilities and adventures to come."
Those adventures are now a key feature in day-to-day life as Paddy opens up the world for Amelie, Victoria and the rest of the family. "Previously, new environments and people were too unpredictable for Amelie and she couldn’t contemplate going beyond the front door. But now Paddy is here, she provides a predictable presence and quiet, calm reassurance. Paddy is a ‘bridge’ for Amelie and she’s looking forward to things that weren’t really possible before. Amelie can see a little bit beyond her anxiety, into the world and start to access a future for herself."
Victoria says Amelie still hasn’t recovered from the trauma being at school caused. "But I know things are starting to change for her because she told me recently that she now loved being who she is, because she has Paddy. That’s a big step away from the child who didn’t want to be herself any more."
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