Many dog owners will have a sense of just how much having a dog can improve their mental health - and this Irvine woman knows that more than most, after her dog Milo helped her get through the toughest period of her life.
Erin Phairs was diagnosed with cancer when she was just nine-years-old. She had to go on to have gruelling treatment in the form of surgeries and chemotherapy, which sadly left her with post-traumatic stress disorder by the time she reached age 13.
“At that point I was just really low all the time, crying for no reason,” Erin recalls. “I was experiencing really intense flashbacks, reliving moments of my cancer treatments. I was just struggling emotionally quite a lot.”
But things began looking up for Erin when she brought home puppy Milo, who she credits for being the reason she’s still here today.
“My life just completely changed from the day that I met Milo. He gave me enough stability to be able to go and get help,” Erin says. “He gives me a reason for getting up every morning, and a reason to be alive.”
Erin, now 25, says that Milo still helps her every day with his amazing sense of intuition.
“When I’m upset, I could be upstairs, he could be downstairs, and he’ll run up and lick my tears away,” she says. “He never leaves my side, especially if I’m not feeling good. He stays by my side no matter what."
And just being around Milo helps to lift Erin’s spirits.
“Him being happy, running about and doing silly things - it rubbed off on me and made me happy,” she says.
Erin decided that Milo’s ability to spread happiness should be shared with others, and he is now a fully trained therapy dog.
“He’s got all these wee hidden magic things about him, and he’s helped me so much. I thought it was selfish to keep all his healing powers to myself,” Erin says.
“I just know that he’s going to be able to help other people like he helped me, because he’s just a wee magic dog.”
Milo is also the “ambassadog” for Beatson Cancer Charity in Glasgow, who work with the hospital where Erin gets her check-ups.
The 11-year-old dog’s life is dedicated to helping those around him, and Erin wants to inspire others to keep going by telling Milo’s story on his Instagram page .
“I tell him every day that he’s my hero,” Erin says about her beloved dog. “He’s saved my life more than he can know. There are no words to thank him.”
“He’s definitely my little superhero.”
