Beyond companionship: how support dogs transform mental health and rebuild lives

According to the Mental Health Foundation, more than 15 million people live with one or more long-term conditions, and more than 4 million of these also have mental health problems.

Dr Ellie Stankovska, a Counselling Psychologist specialising in chronic illness and disability, particularly brain injury, M.E., and long COVID, says: “Living with a long-term illness can be emotionally exhausting. The most common mental-health challenges I see are isolation, depression, loss of independence, changes to identity, and anxiety about being a burden.” 

She explains that it can have a profound impact on an individual's social life. 

“These difficulties are understandable responses to the realities of managing a body that often has to work significantly harder to complete everyday tasks, fatigue, pain, and cognitive overload can make socialising or engaging in routine activities far more demanding, increasing the risk of loneliness,” she says. “Not because of personal weakness, but as a natural response to the relentless demands placed on both body and mind.”

That’s why the 360Wire-backed campaign, Paws for a Cause, has chosen to aid Support Dogs, a charity that provides life-changing assistance dogs to adults with physical disabilities and seizures.

For Heidi, it wasn’t until the family pet Luna gave birth to Rolo, a labradoodle with big brown eyes and a playful personality, that things changed. 

She came across Support Dogs’ disability assistance programme and opted to enter him into training. 

After lots of form-filling, Heidi anxiously sent Rolo off for four weeks to learn the skills needed to help her. 

A year later, the pair graduated, transforming him from a pet into her personal hero. 

Speaking fondly, Heidi says: “He gets me up in the morning and out of the house. It's had such a positive effect on my mental health. If I'm thinking and I get sad or I get a bit down, I look at Rolo, and he does something to make me laugh.  

“I know I've got him to look after and he looks after me as well, he gives me a real purpose, and those negative thoughts have just been nonexistent for the past year now, it’s amazing.”

The mental uplift Heidi experienced comes from the unique bond she shares with Rolo.

Assistance animals can be essential to overcoming emotional obstacles and getting back out in the world.

Dr Renata Roma, a clinician and researcher who specialises in human-animal interactions, offers some insight into why support dogs can be so effective.

She says: “Several things happen in the body when we interact with a companion animal. One of the most consistent findings is a decrease in cortisol, which is the hormone related to stress, and a regulation of blood pressure. We've also seen higher activation in prefrontal and frontal brain areas during interactions with dogs, especially during play.” 

She explains it taps into the framework of co-regulation: “The emotional states of animals can influence the emotional states of humans and vice versa,” she says. “When people feel more relaxed, their confidence and sense of autonomy increase, which contributes to overall psychological well-being.” 

For Dr Roma, support dogs are essential to mitigating emotional obstacles and facilitating reintegration into society.

”Support dogs are necessary because they help in ways that are both visible and invisible. We tend to hierarchize relationships and sometimes forget how powerful the relationship with an animal can be. For people with physical disabilities, they bring emotional comfort and companionship that empowers them.”