'How My Incredible Dog Has Changed Lives'

Sabby has spent over 10 years helping people with learning disabilities. Now she’s been rewarded for her efforts.

- Natasha Wynarczyk

When Jacqueline Evans started taking her friend Ruth’s black Labrador, Sabby, home for the weekend after her own beloved dog died, she didn’t realise what a massive impact the dog would go on to have.

Jacqueline, 47, who works in occupational therapy for NHS Lanarkshire, was studying for a postgraduate degree in animal-assisted therapy at the time she became Sabby’s co-owner, 13 years ago.

‘Sabby was born as part of a litter from Guide Dogs for the Blind, so that was the original intention for her,’ Jacqueline explains. ‘However, she was unsuccessful with her training because she was too friendly with everyone around her, which is what’s made her such a great therapy dog.’

After she got her degree, Jacqueline developed an animal-assisted therapy programme at NHS Lanarkshire and Sabby became a big part of it. Jacqueline’s main role was working with people with learning disabilities and severe autism. ‘A lot of them could be difficult to engage with, so early on, Sabby would be used to communicate with our patients indirectly, sometimes just by being in the same room as them,’ Jacqueline explains. ‘Then once a relationship was developed, she started being involved in the actual treatment programmes.’