They say a man’s best friend is his dog and for C that’s certainly true.
The 18-year-old animal lover has transformed her life thanks to a very special companion and help from Working Denbighshire.
C, from Rhyl, came to Working Denbighshire 18 months ago. For the past five years, C has been living with anxiety which had made it difficult for her to live life as she would like. Chronically shy, C is autistic and also has epilepsy.
Attending college was overwhelming for C and she had left a travel and tourism college course as a result. But her love of animals has now set C, who is being mentored by Working Denbighshire’s S.H-J, on a different path.
One of the first things Working Denbighshire did was to help C with her anxiety, funding a course to help her learn how to handle social interactions with little tasks each week to build up her confidence.
By spending time with C, S discovered the teenager’s love of animals and that she had taken in a rescue dog, a Bedlington Terrier called Bruce. Three-year-old Bruce came from the Pet Rescue Welfare Association in Dyserth. S hit on the idea of securing C a placement at the rescue centre.
By looking after the dogs there and from looking after Bruce, C realised she’d like to consider dog grooming.
S found C an assistant dog grooming course at Llysfasi College. The fact the course is part-time was more manageable and Working Denbighshire paid for C to attend.
C has almost completed the course and when it finishes in May she’ll leave with a qualification. Working Denbighshire also funded the dog grooming equipment, such as clippers and scissors, she needed to take the course.
C has also found the confidence to apply for jobs. Working Denbighshire helped develop her CV and she will soon be joining the team at Rhyl’s new SC2 water park, helping out in the cafés during busy periods. In the meantime, Working Denbighshire continues to support her as she looks for work with a dog groomers’ or considers starting a further college course.