My Dog Hamish

Using dogs to lower anxiety around learning and assisting in maintaining a positive attitude to school work is a reasonably new approach to education worldwide. So why did it work? I have experienced it myself.

Two important things happened to me when I turned 13.

I was given Hamish, the friendliest, happiest Jack Russel in the world.

My mother took me for a check-up. The doctor found an odd-looking bit of skin above my eye that he wanted to investigate. That very day, we were at the specialist, being told that although it was rare for a 13-year-old to have skin cancer, I did indeed have skin cancer.

After the cancer was removed, I think myself and my parents were still in shock for a while. It wasn’t very life-threatening, but it was a surprise. I found it very difficult to concentrate on schoolwork and was worried about slipping behind. I remember many hours of study in my room, anxious, fearful of failure and dreading every school day. Through the haze of my bedroom papers and files, there was always a fat Jack Russell sleeping among the books. Listening to him sleep amongst the perceived chaos of my life made me feel better about my teenage challenges.

Fast forward to year 12, and my health was no better. I ended up being hospitalised while all my school friends were sitting their final exams. I never sat my final exams. The unease and fear for my future after missing those exams made my stress levels skyrocket and slowed my recovery. I spent much time in bed sleeping to get my strength back. Through it all was Hamish. Ready to sleep when I needed to. Ready to listen when I needed to talk. He was ready to snuggle when I worried and ready to do his best to remind me to be happy for the simple things.

I now hold a master's degree in Teaching, but studying never came easy, and learning was made more challenging due to intermittent illness. I didn’t always have my health, school, friends or confidence, but through it all, I had Hamish. My happy little guardian. His ability to relax, live in the moment and his happy attitude to life helped me. 

I created Canine Comprehension in part thanks to Hamish, and I hope our AAI dogs provide our students with the same ray of hope that Hamish provided me.