Hannah Souter, 35, works in peer support for the Scottish Recovery Consortium and lives in Banff with her lab cross collie Thor.
Here’s what Hannah had to say about Thor:
I got Thor nearly 10 years ago at six weeks old when I was 25 years old.
At the time, I was looking into adopting a dog but somebody I knew, their dog got pregnant by mistake.
I was there for the birth by pure fluke and he was born in my hand. Then later, he opened his eyes for the first time and crawled up to me, I was like “He’s the one for me”.
‘Thor has saved my life’
Thor has saved my life in many ways. When I got him, I was a heroin addict.
I have had bad mental health since I was 13 years old. At one point I found myself in with the wrong crowd. I was easily led and before I knew it, I was addicted to drugs.
If I came home when I was on drugs, Thor would be concerned because my breathing was strange and I would feel guilty.
I wanted to get clean anyway, I was killing myself but he was just the final push to do it. It helped me ask for help and actually stick to it.
He saved my life in many ways. Before I got him, I had a couple of suicide attempts but it has never got that bad since I got him. I call him my little hero.
With my mental health, I used to not leave the house and now with him, I’ll go for walks for hours. When I lost my mum three years ago to suicide, he helped me through that as well.
Thor encouraged me to get out of the house and not give up.
Thor helps with Hannah’s epileptic fits
When he was about two years old, I was diagnosed with epilepsy.
Before I had a fit, my mum saw that Thor would come and paw at me as though to say ‘Lie down’. I’d then go into a fit and during it, he’d stand on me as though to go “I’m here mummy, you’re ok.”
There’s been a few times where I’ve been out by myself at night and I’ve gone down having a fit. If there’s no one around to see it, he’ll run off and bark until somebody follows him to get me help.
When you come around from a fit you’re very disorientated but he’s always there. It seems to help me come back a lot quicker.
What is Thor like?
Thor’s a big softie. He expects everybody to just love him and he’ll love you just as much back. If he sees older people or anybody who seems lonely he’ll go to that person before anybody else and just show them a bit of love.
He loves a teddy. When you come in the door you get brought a teddy or a selection of them sometimes. He’s got 30 of them. Thor’s also very food-orientated. Typical lad!
‘Pup cups’, dog-friendly Cullen and snow
Our favourite thing to do is go for walks like Banff Links Beach, Duff House and Cullen. Cullen is a really dog-friendly town. He loves getting a pup cup from the cafe and a paddle in the sea in summer.
Sometimes we take out Thor and my partner Stacey’s cat Waffles on a lead together on a walk. When folk see a cat and dog walking along together they’re like ‘What’s going on here?’.
But Thor’s favourite is the snow.
One of my favourite memories is when I took him home in February and when the snow snow came, I remember opening the back door and he dived into it. When there’s snow I’ve got to pick him up to get him back in the house.
What Thor has taught me
Animals love you unconditionally no matter what you’ve done in your past that you might not like about yourself, they love you unconditionally.
I would say to anyone who might be struggling, don’t give up. There’s always a reason to keep trying even if you might have failed many times.
- The Samaritans can be contacted 24/7 all year round on 116 123 or emailing jo@samaritans.org
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