Scooter the therapy dog with a BLUE MOHAWK helps put a smile on people's faces through surfing and cuddles
CHICHESTER, SUSSEX: Dogs are truly man's best friend. This was proved by an adorable therapy dog who helps adults and children battle mental illness by surfing.
In 2016, a woman from Sussex named Kirstie Coy-Martin decided to rescue a poodle-mix and teach him to surf on the beaches near Chichester, Sussex. She named the little furry boy Scooter and styled his fur in a blue mohawk. Skip to six years later, Scooter is not just a phenomenal surfer but also Coy-Martin's loyal assistant, who works as a therapist and loves to visit hospitals and child care centers.
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Known for his blue mohawk, Scooter never fails to make people smile. Coy-Martin, who is a police officer, said, "Scooter has helped both children and adults fight their mental issues. Scooter usually starts his therapy by giving furry cuddles to the patient while they talk about issues and the thing that is disturbing and ends it with a trip to the sea." Speaking about her little fur baby, she said, "Scooter absolutely changes lives, and he's certainly changed mine. I knew I had to adopt him when a friend sent me a picture of him. He was looking at the camera and it was like his eyes reached into my soul."
"He's just amazing, he's so good at providing comfort to the people who need it. If we visit a hospital or care home, he has a sixth sense for who's the most ill, or who's missing their own dog, and he makes a bee-line for them," she added.
Recalling an incident, Coy-Martin said that there was a boy who didn’t even wanted to come out of his car for his first session but later, ended up loving the surfing session with Scooter. "There was one boy who wouldn't even get out of the car on his first session. After a couple of weeks, he was surfing on his own with Scooter, and his mum said he's like a new boy. It really helps build up their confidence, and he works with adults as well," she said. "We normally start with all in a circle on the beach speaking about whatever has brought them here. Scooter normally has a cuddle with whoever is speaking, and then we get in the water, anything from paddling to surfing," she added.
The police officer said that she decided to train Scooter as a therapy dog just a few weeks after she adopted him. She said, "When you get a rescue you never know how their behavior is going to be. He was so chilled when I first got him, but I waited a few months in a case that changed. At first, he took all the exams to become a therapy dog with a charity that sends dogs to care homes and hospitals. Then, I saw something about surf therapy dogs online and it was a lightbulb moment for me. I love surfing, and he was already a therapy dog so I wanted to combine the two."