Autistic little girl's life transformed by adorable assistance dog named Mandy

A little girl whose autism led to her having ‘several meltdowns a day’ has found a new sense of calm, thanks to a furry four-legged friend. 

Little Alessa Thompson, an eight-year-old from Chaddesden, Derby, was prone to ‘bolting.’ 

This is a behaviour common amongst autistic people who have an impaired sense of danger.

Alessa’s ‘bolting’ gave her family a fright when she was hit by a car, but since being introduced to an autism assistance dog, Alessa has stopped running away.

Meet adorable autism assistance dog Mandy

Mandy is a Labrador/Golden Retriever cross trained by national charity Support Dogs.

Since Mandy sprang into her life, Alessa’s life has been transformed. 

“Getting her in and out of school was a nightmare,” said mum Donna Bunting, of Chaddesden, Derby.

“When she was six or seven, her grandad picked her up from school and she was excited because she saw her grandad’s van on the other side of the road.

“She just ran and was hit by a car. It was more of a tap as luckily the driver saw her and was able to brake in time. But it was pretty close and left us all shocked.”

Around one percent of UK children are diagnosed as autistic, and half of those tend to bolt and wander away from their parents or carers, which could prove fatal.

Describing Alessa’s tendency to bolt, Donna, 39, added: “If there was an open door, she’d be gone – she was constantly on the go.”

But Mandy has brought a sense of calm to Alessa, helping her to regulate her emotions.

Asked what life would be like without Mandy, Donna admitted: “I think we would all be in a bit of a mess right now.

“Mandy came to live with us in March last year and since then we have seen a real difference.

“When Alessa is upset, Mandy just needs to go and sit with her and she will calm down. She’s her rock.”

Support Dogs trains and provides assistance dogs to help autistic children and adults with epilepsy or physical disability to live safer, more independent lives.

Prior to Mandy’s arrival, Alessa would have several ‘meltdowns’ a day.

“She would throw things, trash things, break things, scream, shout and kick,” recalled Donna, who works as a personal assistant and a clinical support worker.

She said they would happen anywhere, whether at home, or on a trip to the supermarket for instance.

“We didn’t really go anywhere,” added Donna.

“She has a younger sister, Miley, who’s four, and she missed out on quite a lot because I couldn’t take her out because there was a risk of Alessa running off and having to choose between running after Alessa or leaving Miley behind.”

Donna and her partner, Ross , a 38-year-old MOT tester, first noticed their daughter was different to her peers around the time she started nursery.

“She started hitting me a lot, her feet were constantly up in the air and she couldn’t keep still,” she said.

Around the age of five, Alessa was diagnosed with autism and plans were put in place at her school.

But despite having an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in place, Alessa struggled to settle and Donna looked into getting extra help.

While working at her local hospital, Donna got chatting to a patient who had a support dog and she asked Donna whether she had thought about applying for an assistance dog.

“I didn’t even know they trained support dogs for autism,” said Donna.

“I spoke to the lovely people at Support Dogs and I thought ‘brilliant, if you can stop my daughter from running away and can calm her down whenever she’s going off on one’ that would be great.”

Donna applied in 2021 during lockdown, and within a year, a match was found.

Donna went to the charity’s headquarters in Sheffield to do some training, meet some dogs and to check their compatibility with the family.

“We wanted a dog that was nice and chilled but that could also have a play and have a good walk,” she said.

And when Mandy met Alessa, they were “like two peas in a pod”.

“It was brilliant,” said Donna.

“It was very emotional. It was like an instant calming effect – as soon as Mandy sat with her, Alessa just chilled. It was amazing to watch.”

She added: “In general, Mandy has brought the family closer together. We have been able to get out more and do more stuff. We are even in discussions about going abroad.”

Praising the work of Support Dogs, a grateful Donna said: “It’s unmatched, it’s absolutely fantastic.

“You just can’t put into words what they do. They change people’s lives. They change children’s lives for the better. They are making a difference and it’s just fantastic.”

To find out more about the charity visit their website by clicking here.