Assistance animals: 'My dog is my lifeline and my safety net'

A young woman who suffers from anxiety and depression has opened up about how her assistance dog has helped her face difficult situations and ease her feelings towards self-harm.

Mei, 20, from Norwich, got golden retriever Koda when she was just an 11-week-old puppy.

After 18 months together, Mei has told the story of "my life-saving dog" as part of BBC One series Our Lives.

She described Koda as "a lifeline... she is my safety net."

Mei was looked after by her grandmother until the age of about nine.

"And when she left, that left a massive hole in my heart," said Mei.

"Being an Asian person growing up in the 2000s in a rural environment - diversity wasn't really a thing.

"I was constantly bullied for being Chinese; I was constantly bullied for being fat. I had full-blown bulimia. It got to a point where at 13 or 14 I didn't want to be alive."

She found some stability within a children's home, she said.

"I spent most of my teen years in care and I never really finished high school. Those years were really tough on me and it's had a lasting impact."

Mei left the care system when she was 18.

"I cried almost every single night as I wanted to go back home. That was all I knew - and it still feels like that, just not as much," she said.

"Since getting Koda I feel that security - wherever she is, is where the home is.

"Koda helps me massively with my mental health. She gives me the confidence to go out.

"One of her most important tasks is to stop me from self-harming."

Koda recognises signs such as when Mei starts rubbing her hands or scratching herself.

Another task is to create space between Mei and other people as she does not like others getting "too close" or in her personal space.

If she starts to have a panic attack, Koda jumps on her lap which she said calms her down.

Mei was recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia so she sometimes needs to use a wheelchair, meaning Koda has needed training in how to walk beside one.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic illness which causes pain all over the body, as well as fatigue and brain fog, and is thought to affect more than one million people in the UK.

Mei also experiences dissociative episodes where she will simply shut off from what is going on, and Koda has been trained to jump at her when she "zones out".

A film crew for the BBC series followed Mei and Koda, whose full name is Dakoda, as they underwent gruelling training towards Koda's Public Access Test.

The test is for assistance dogs, evaluating them in situations they might find when they are out working including dealing with people, busy shops and restaurants, and making sure they can ignore food and other dogs.

The crew also followed Mei to London after she was chosen to be part of a special panel set up by the Children's Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza.

She told Dame Rachel about her concerns there was not enough support in schools for children with special needs and mental health issues.

"I get to speak up on a national level - I get a chance to make a difference," said Mei.

She reflected on how her life had changed since Koda became part of it.

She had tried to overdose twice before then, but said of the dog: "Having her is a lifeline - she is my safety net.

"Two years ago I didn't think I was going to make it to my 21st birthday and now, having nearly made it, I feel this is my time to explore and have fun, and for her to keep growing up because she's still a puppy.

"I don't know if there [are] enough words to tell her how much she means to me and how much she has helped my life - she is literally my world."

"My Life-Saving Dog" aired on BBC One at 19:30 BST on 21 July and is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

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