Why my mum is glad that she chose such a good listener

Hi! My name is Tiger Martin and I’d like to share the story of my mum and I with you. Tiger's Blog

"He's the one!"

I am 15 weeks old and met my new mum 8 weeks ago and joined her and my new dad in their home a week later. When I met them, I felt a connection with my mum straight away, and sensed she seemed sad. I kept playing in front of mum and soon she picked me up for a cuddle. After a couple of minutes she tried to put me down and I pushed myself even harder into her shoulder to say “choose me, I’ll cheer you up”, after another 5 minutes I let mum put me down and played at her feet, she bent down to stroke me and I seized my opportunity to seal the deal – I grabbed her hand in my mouth and tried to pull her into my cage and she laughed and said “he’s the one!”

Just getting up in morning became a struggle

The next week was very long until mum and dad came to pick me up, but my work had begun. Mum has been off work since August 2014, but had been slowly going downhill for at least 6 months before that. She was being intimidated and bullied at work, and her confidence was completely destroyed. She made lots of mistakes, did things that then could not remember doing and, worse, remembered doing things that she later found she hadn’t.

Basic tasks such as doing the washing or making a cup of tea had become a challenge. At the end of August, she sadly lost her previous dog very suddenly, which she says was like a bomb going off in her head. Her memory/ability to do tasks in correct order, stammering, crying, insomnia and nightmares completely overwhelmed her and just getting up in morning became a struggle.

I listen when she wants to talk

Mum’s doctor has been very supportive and the medication she is now on is helping her to cope much better. She has been referred to the local mental health team and is waiting to start therapy with them. But this is where my story really starts.

I can tell when mum needs a cuddle to make her feel less sad. When I feel she’s in a better mood I act the clown to really make her laugh, and listen when she wants to talk.

When mum is training me I try really hard to get things right so she does not feel useless. In the last two weeks life has got even better for us, now I have had my vaccinations we are going out for lots of walks. With me by her side mum is getting her confidence to talk to people again, because as a cute puppy everyone wants to talk to or about me. Our adventures also mean that mum has something positive to talk about when dad gets home from work.

With continued support, I'm sure she'll get better

We have started puppy training school where there are lots of people to talk to which is good for mum as we all know why we’re there. Training involves repetitive tasks which is good for mum and is helping her to improve her memory -although she still forgets bits, it’s early days for both of us. The trainers know about mum’s problem too and are being helpful and supportive particularly with new tasks.

Mum says she still has a way to go but, since I’ve been in her life, it’s not such an uphill struggle as it was and, with continued support from her doctor, the mental health team and me and dad I’m sure she’ll get there.