Susan and Poppy: Autism, Comfort and Family Support

Episode transcript

Chapter 1: Intro
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[Music]
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and welcome to emotional support animal show number eight. We're thrilled to have you join us today as we dive into the world of emotional sport animals and
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the incredible impact they have on the lives of their handlers. This show is dedicated to giving you an inside look at the people and the stories behind
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these amazing animals. In each episode, we connect with the registered emotional support animal handler uh who are officially listed with the emotional
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support animals registry in the UK. As you can see the logo that side.
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Um our guests share their personal journeys and unique ways their ESAs have transformed their lives and invaluable bond they share with their companions.
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From heartwarming stories of resilience to insights into the daily life of an ESA handler, this episode promises to be
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both informative and uplifting. We'll be asking our guests a range of questions about their emotional support animals, how they become registered, and the
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positive changes they these wonderful companions have brought to their lives.
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Whether you're an ESA handler yourself considering getting one or just curious about the role of these animals play in mental and emotional well-being, you're
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in the right place. So sit down, relax, and let's get into another episode of the emotional support animals show.
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Let's get started.
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Move it more to myself and Poppy and um Susan will next class.
Chapter 2: Susan and Poppy
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Welcome to the show. Could you both start introducing yourselves?
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Yes, Suzan, would you like to start with yourself? Um, my name is
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I'm 15 and I have an emotional support
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and his name is Poppy. He is six years old. So, he yeah been with us for a while.
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Okay. So Suzanne, can you tell us about your ESA? What kind of animal is it, its name, and how it became part of your life?
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Um, his name is Poppy. He's a border collie, and he was pretty unexpected. My
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mom kind of brought him home as a surprise, as like a family dog. And over time, we
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realized that he was really good at noticing when we had stronger emotions and he would help calm us down.
Chapter 3: How did you feel when your daughter brought up the idea
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for you. How did you feel uh when your daughter um did she bring up the idea
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for emotional support animal or did you uh actually um well this is a a long story but keeping it short um none of us
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I don't think none of us even ex knew it exists. So um he kind of he become a
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part of our family and um it's just happened by itself you know
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none of us really expected that he just become our emotion way before we knew that the organization even exist.
Chapter 4: What led you to decide that you needed an emotional support animal
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Suzanne, what led you to decide that you uh wanted or needed an emotional support animal? Um,
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so although it was spontaneous, I realized that once he did start supporting me more, but I really I can't
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go without him because when there's no one human, then there's always my dog who will comfort me and who will listen.
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And Rana, from your your perspective, what were your initial thoughts or concerns about this decision? Oh um well
Chapter 5: What were your initial thoughts
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so no concerns whatsoever. Uh actually it was a one of the best decision I made
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in my life and um I think I should do it much earlier but um yeah it's it was a
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quite unexpected but the best decision I made. One of the best decision I made.
Chapter 6: How has having an ESA impacted your daughters day to day life
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How has having an ESA impacted your daughter's day-to-day life and mental well-being?
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Oh, um it helped a lot. Uh so I I think like
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probably many many people will agree with me especially if you're on a spectrum. Uh it can give you a huge
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comfort support um helping with your sensory overload. So yeah, it's changed the life in a many
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ways in a good way if you know what I mean.
Chapter 7: Have you noticed any changes in the family dynamic
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Have you noticed any changes in the family dynamic or household as as a result of um having the dog a puppy as a ESA?
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Uh yes. Yes. I I think um I need to mention
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as well he is as much as he is an emotional support uh he kind of supports
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all of us. So it change our household as well you know.
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Uh it's just a bit happier um happier place you know seeing especially when he's
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supporting my kids. So yeah it's it changed in a very good way.
Chapter 8: Susans story
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Could uh one or both of you share a particular story or instance where the uh poppy provided comfort or support during a challenging time?
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Um, so during my GCSEs this year, it was obviously very stressful. I had a lot of
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revision to do and it it was just taking all of my time. And I remember one night
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it really got to me and I got really upset. And since Poppy sleeps in my room, he kind of sensed that I was upset
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and he jumped up on my bed and he just hugged me and he let me pet him until I calmed down.
Chapter 9: Biggest benefits
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And Susan, what was some of the big biggest benefits you've experienced since getting Poppy?
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I think there's just always some I guess something there, you know,
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to kind of lean on. He is one of my best friends. Um I can always go to him
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sometimes when I'm home alone. Um I don't have to worry because I have my dog. So I can always look to him for comfort if I'm feeling upset.
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Yeah.
Chapter 10: Supporting your daughter
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And uh what benefits have you seen from your side perhaps in supporting your daughter?
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Oh well uh many uh many but I think one
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of them it's definitely feeling more um I'm feeling more calm. I'm worried less
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about Susan because I know that obviously apart from us, you know, he is
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a huge part of uh uh you know uh her mental health, her well-being. So um
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yeah. Oh gosh, I could probably write a book about that. Uh so many different ways. Susan, have you
Chapter 11: Challenges with Poppy
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encountered any challenges or obstacles with Poppy, especially in public places or any like specific establishments?
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I when our family was staying in
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um hotels as emergency accommodation, we weren't really allowed our pets. Um, I'm
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not sure why, but that meant that I couldn't have my dog with me and I'd have to go pretty far to visit him,
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which was definitely a big problem because I I kind of need him in my life. Mhm.
Chapter 12: Emergency Accommodation
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So, that the emergency accommodation didn't let emotional support animals in either, did they? Uh, no.
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No, it's it's actually it's yeah it's bad for many of us because our situation
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our case it's it's not isolated. There is so many people and uh it's just sad.
Chapter 13: Social Life
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Yeah, we get uh oh the registry gets emails all the time about um having problems with pro with uh emergency
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accommodation. Some do take them, some don't. Do you feel that having a Poppy has helped your daughter connect with people in your community or has it affected your family's social life?
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Um, well, both. You know, in some ways both. Um about Susan, I I think uh it's
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it's definitely amazing to watch that it's uh uh he's definitely helping her um build her confidence. So that
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automatically will uh have an impact on her social life. So uh oh god I am yeah uh he is just a huge impact on on that.
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So uh and uh as well giving you know uh sometimes helps to break the ice if you
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know what I mean. So if you have someone with the animal it doesn't have to be a dog because she loves all of animals. So
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um that kind of gives you that potential conversation you can start and uh yeah
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animals are just great. So what can I say more about that?
Chapter 14: Most Surprising Thing
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What's the most surprising thing each of you has learned about uh having Poppy or as an ESA since you got one? And has it
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changed your view on emotional support animals? Same. Would you like to start on that?
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Um, so I kind of already knew that emotional support animals existed, but I didn't think it was
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such like a I wouldn't say a simple thing to kind of get the registration.
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Um, so I thought it was like a much longer process with stress, but I guess not. Are there any misconceptions about
Chapter 15: Misconceptions
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emotional support animals that you as a mother daughter team would like to clear up for our viewers?
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Uh yes, Suzanne, would you like to start? Um, I think a lot of people kind
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of see emotional support animals as like an excuse to kind of bring your animals everywhere, but I don't think you really
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understand how much an ESA can do for you until you actually experience the love and support from an ESA.
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Um, I didn't fully understand how important emotion support animals were to people until realize I can't live without him.
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So, they're not just that people say so they can keep their pets with them at all the time. It's a real thing. It's real support.
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Yeah. You know, everybody says that.
Chapter 16: Mental Health
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Yeah. Sorry, I was just going to say that it's a shame that people, you know, trivialize trivialize that because, you
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know, we we should be more open, you know, and mental health, you know, we can uh we can deal with mental health in
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many different ways, not just the pills, not just counseling, but you know, the
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animal part is a huge in um in a mental health, you know. Uh so yeah, we should be more open.
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Yeah. Uh Susan, how does Poppy help you manage specific symptoms of your uh for you?
Chapter 17: Autism
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Um so I have autism and I get over stimulated and overwhelmed very quick easily.
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Um when that happens I often I don't want to be around anyone or um
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everything kind of around me is too much and just call on over. Um and he'll let
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me pet him. He'll let me give him a when I don't really want physical contact from him. he'll still kind of try and
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push um just so that I don't do any um stems that I might hurt myself with.
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And uh Arona, how how have you seen this play out in real time?
Chapter 18: How have you seen this play out
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Oh yeah, I've seen it many times and um as sometimes, you know, heartbreaking it
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is. It's it's amazing to watch because uh you know there is no words there is
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sometimes not even a movement but the fact that he is next to her is just enough. I I know to
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some people it's just they they cannot imagine that but to her is just enough.
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I saw it so many times and um especially the time when we were separated when when he was in a foster family. That was
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I think the most clear moment because you know so many times she asked me mom
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can we please at least go see him for a bit. So we want to be able to h more or less often but yeah I it many times.
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Mhm.
Chapter 19: How receptive are businesses and service providers
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Um how receptive have businesses and service providers in your city or town been towards uh Poppy? Um and have you
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found certain places more accepting than others? And how's that been for the family?
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I don't really think we take him many places and the only place that we could have had him was the hotels.
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Um, and we didn't have a very positive experience there. Um, we've been to like caravans with him, but those are pet
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friendly and that was okay. You know, there were no problems. Um, he was just kind of seen as a normal, but I think in
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the emergency accommodations was a problem.
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Uh I think uh if um I would add something to that it would be um
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housing sector you know uh um if you try to rent property or you are in a um
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housing uh council housing it's it's very challenging and very difficult. Um and sometimes they will
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deny uh you know permission to have an animal even that you know we do have all uh paperwork
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uh from a few different professionals you know supporting us you know in
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trying to fight for Poppy so you know he was able to us because not just our pet
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she's an um huge huge support and help.
Chapter 20: Traveling with Poppy
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Uh you said you've traveled together with uh you said you've traveled together with Poppy. Uh what was that experience like? You said you've
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traveled together with Poppy. What was that experience like? And uh besides the hotel challenges, did you have any challenges about with anything else?
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Uh well if we travel with him uh the first thing will be to make sure that the place we going is friendly pet but
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friendly but obviously uh um it is more challenging to find those places and often they will be more
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expensive obviously. Uh so uh it can be sometimes
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challenging to you know found something nice and uh pet friendly. Uh but um to found that
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place it it was it was okay. It was nice. Poppy was happy. We are happy.
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Susan was extremely happy to have him you know on the carvas with us. So yeah actually wasn't a bad experience on that front.
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Okay. What advice would you give to someone who's considering getting an emotional support animal, Susan?
Chapter 21: Advice for getting an emotional support animal
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Um, I think advice
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would be
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[Music]
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don't take advantage of your emotional support animal. I guess like if you pick
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the wrong animal and you expect them to kind of already know everything
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and be perfect straight away. Um, that's not going to happen. You kind I think you have to build a bond with an animal
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as well as kind of teach them certain things, but it's mostly about bond. So,
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you can't kind of feel that straight away. Yeah.
Chapter 22: Parents perspective
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And uh from a parents perspective,
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[Music]
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uh well, I definitely agree with Susan.
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Absolutely. Uh and um another thing I want to add is that um
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if if you're choosing to get emotional uh support animal, make sure you don't choose just because you know it looks
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cute or sweet, you know, because uh it's like what Susan said, it's about building that bond. It's much more than
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that. It's you know um like often kids wants animal but then we adults ending
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up looking after them you know it's you know just just trying to be cautious
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you know and making sure what you're doing and do your research obviously and and maybe have a little look around take
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that child or as if you are adult go um you know meet those animals H in person,
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you know, see how you feel because if you're going to find that one, you're going to know that's that's that's the
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one if you know what I mean, you know, and sometimes you just meet by coincidence, you know, from a shelter, you know, there is so many animals. So,
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um yeah, just be cautious.
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Yeah. I also think also get the right um size animal for your accommodation and also the right temperament cuz some of
Chapter 23: Get the right animal
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those some dogs like uh say a Jack Russell needs a lot of exercise and and uh
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uh time with it playing and some like I can see with Poppy will just lie there.
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Oh god. Oh no. He is just lying there right now because you know um you can feel the stress
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he can sense some of the emotions. So h he's going to be here but he's not like
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that. He he loves to play you know so it's opposite to what you're saying.
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Okay. Um, do you have any tips for managing the care and well-being of a emotional support animal, especially for
Chapter 24: Tips for managing emotional support animals
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young handlers or families dealing with disabilities or mental health challenges? And how do you divide the responsibilities?
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Two of them. Um, I think that we kind of divide the responsibilities between everyone. Some days I'll feed him, some
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days my mom will feed him, some days my sister will feed him. Um, but I think what we all have to make sure is that if
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a responsibility is placed on us, we have to do it. Um, and then there's obviously the unspoken ones. Just like
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simply play with him, make sure he's happy. Take care of your emotional support animals like they take care of you. I think that's really important.
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Mhm.
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And uh lastly, what's one thing each of you would like people to understand or appreciate about emotional support
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animals they may not realize, particularly in a family context like yours? Shan, you want me to start?
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Um I think I'm going to repeat myself but I think it's very very important to really
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be open-minded and bit more tolerant that you know um
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not every um disabilities or needs you can see straight away. H. So don't
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assume just because you know you think you know you look at someone but you look fine, you're okay. You you don't know what's going on inside. Sometimes
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there is a huge battle and you know it and sometimes that a little bundle of
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joy as Poppy can really really make a huge difference. So just um be kind to
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us please. We need those animals and it's so many of us. It's not just me
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and not my family. There is so many people like us out there. Okay. Okay. Thank you to both of you.
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Much appreciated.
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Well, thank you for having us for the opportunity. We need to spread the word. Yeah. Okay.
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