South Wootton family shares dog dream of helping Ben, eight
A campaign is being launched to raise thousands of pounds to transform the life of an eight-year-old South Wootton boy.
Parents Rachael and Jack McLellan, of Deas Road, are trying to raise £7,000 to buy an assistance dog for their son Ben, who goes to Whitefriars Primary School.
The aim is to help him in daily life as well as helping him to cope with things outside of his normal routine.
With the support of friends, family and The Church in the Woottons, a fun day is being held on Saturday 14 July at South Wootton Village Hall to officially kickstart the McLellan’s fundraising drive.
Mum Rachael, who also has two other sons Peter, 10, and Christopher, eight, said a dog will help provide the constant company that Ben, who has ADHD, desperately wants and needs.
She said: “Not only will it make Ben’s life easier, it’ll also vastly improve the lives of Jack, Peter, Christopher and myself.
“Ben doesn’t like to be by himself but he also doesn’t want to play with other children so if we are able to raise enough funds, a dog will ensure he is never on his own again.
“Ben also doesn’t go to sleep easily. Most nights he is up until 11 or 12 o clock – 9pm if we are very lucky and that doesn’t happen very often.
"This dog will help Ben go to sleep and that will give all of us a better quality of life, especially the boys because he won’t be screaming late at night or pestering them.”
Rachael spent many hours researching what a dog could do for Ben and their household after reading a story of a family with similar experiences.
She said: “It was just a story that randomly popped up on my social media timeline, and reading it and watching the video about it and I was moved to tears because it felt like I was watching a video about my life.
“I then read everything I could possibly read about getting an assistance dog and if he can do even half of the long list of things it can help us with, it will have a huge impact on our lives.
“As well as the calming impact the dog would have on Ben and he always having company, I hope it will lead to him being more sociable with other children rather than him doing his own thing in his own little world.
“This dog will really help him with things that are part of his routine but also those out of routine.
"He struggles, for example, at the supermarket with all the noise and colours but having a dog with him will give him something to focus on and make these experiences less stressful.”
Rachael added: “Ben knows we want to get a dog but he doesn’t fully understand why.
"He knows he is different from the other children but he likes that and the other children accept Ben for who he is.”
The Family Fun Day raising money for A Dog For Ben campaign at South Wootton Village Hall will start at 12noon.
There will be craft activities for children along with light refreshments as well as stalls selling a variety of products and a raffle.
The Church in the Woottons is also holding an account for the appeal and clearly marked donations can be made to “The Church in the Woottons PCC” to further boost the appeal.
