A Stone Mum is raising money for a vital therapy dog for her autistic son after the sudden death of his best friend, British Bulldog Harold.
Harold (known as H to his best friends) died in his sleep, at the young age of 6, in the early hours of Wednesday 17th June. Angela Calisi & her son Neo had had H for 3 years, rehoming him after his previous family became ill & couldn’t look after him, as Neo was in need of a therapy dog.
H soon became a vital and loved part of the family, calming Neo and bringing him comfort in social situations, Neo attends a SEN school has autism and the eating disorder ARFID, which often causes him to vomit at night, and H was always on hand to reassure him. Since H died, Neo has been having nightly panic attacks and suffering from extreme anxiety, often worrying that he or Angela won’t wake up the next day.
Angela said “Finding H had passed in the early hours of the morning was such a traumatic experience for both of us. Before we had H, Neo wasn’t attending school due to high levels of anxiety, and was receiving treatment from a psychologist for being suicidal & self harm. A therapy dog was recommended by the psychology team, and H was just the most wonderful best friend, for both Neo and myself.”
Angela, who also suffers from several health issues, including epilepsy and nerve damage to her feet, was shocked to discover that recently, due to Covid-19, prices of puppies have risen dramatically.
She added; “We were so lucky with H, he was a rescue but suited us down to the ground. We would love to find another rescue, but now we know the sort of temperament we need in a dog to suit Neo’s needs, finding a rescue that suits us like H did would take a long time, with no guarantee that we could even find one. Added to that my health issues, and the fact I occasionally look after my young grandson, at this point a puppy is our only option so they can be trained to support Neo the way H did.”
“Two local businesses heard about our situation, and have both donated a sum of money towards the costs, though both have asked to remain anonymous. They suggested we start a GoFundMe campaign so we can get Neo the support he needs quickly.”
You can donate to the fund on their GoFundMe page.
