A Forfar woman is calling for more education of the work of assistance dogs after two “out of control” pets almost caused her to have an anxiety attack.
Skylar Docherty, 23, has suffered from anxiety, depression and panic attacks since the age of 18.
Her assistance dog Maya, a Husky/Akita cross can detect an attack and leans against her as a calming influence.
However, while shopping in the Angus town recently, Skylar said two dogs, off their leads, distracted Maya and almost made her miss the danger signs.
Skylar said: “It was really scary.
“I was out shopping when two off-the-lead chihuahuas began barking aggressively at Maya.
“This unsettled her and distracted her momentarily and the entire situation caused me to have a panic attack that caused my heart rate to soar.
“Because of the commotion Maya didn’t immediately realise what was happening to me.
“Fortunately she very quickly was able to refocus, saw how I was reacting and immediately came to my aid.
“She sensed my distress, alerted me and leant against me to calm me down.
“Thank goodness she did because I could have had a really bad attack otherwise.”
What are assistance dogs?
Skylar heard of assistance dogs from a friend when her panic attacks began.
A psychiatric service dog may help someone with anxiety by bringing medication during an anxiety attack, leading someone to their owner if they need help, or providing pressure against your chest or abdomen to create a calming effect.
Skylar said: “Things got so bad that I didn’t even want to leave home – my social anxiety was that bad.
“I thought that I would try this for myself and I got Maya. I trained her myself and she has made an incredible difference to my life.
“With her by my side I can relax knowing she will pick up the signs and come to my aid.”
Skylar said the incident made her realise that many people are not aware of the work of dogs like Maya and she wanted to use what happened to her to explain how important they are to their owners.
“Thanks to Maya I can go out again,” she said.
“She has made such a huge difference to my life.
“However, I don’t think many people realise what Maya does and that she is a working dog.
“I would like people to consider what they are doing around dogs because like Maya, they could be a working dog and making a huge difference to their owner’s life.
“I dread to think what could have happened on this occasion if Maya hadn’t done so well and got back under control and calmed me down again.”