A much-loved therapy dog from Swinton, who has supported people in hospital and schools, has died.
Fly, a rescue Border Collie, died after supporting members of the community for more than three years.
His owner, Therapy Dogs volunteer Sami Speakman spent a lot of time at home, due to suffering from seizures. After adopting Fly to support her health, Sami wanted to get out of the house more and found Therapy Dogs in Swinton.
She said: “Everyone who’s heard of Fly’s passing has been devastated, because so many people knew him, all throughout Salford and Manchester.
“It was basically more about giving back than anything, doing something good within the community, and everyone already loved Fly, so it just made sense.
“It was a case of, if I can take my dog out, which I had to do every day and do something positive for people, then why not. Fly went everywhere that wanted him, Manchester Royal, universities, care homes, offices, he really went anywhere I could get to.
“My 5-minute walk to the bus stop, would take an hour because of the amount of people stopping me to see Fly.”
Image credits: Sami Speakman
Sami continued: “Fly has always been a pretty placid, chilled out kind of dog.
“He was a rescue, found wandering the streets of Leigh, he was in really bad shape, covered in urine so his white fur was yellow, and you could see his ribs.
“We got him when he was around 11 months old, he was the most laid-back dog for a collie.”
Sami continued: “On one visit we went to a paediatrics ward, the impact of having a dog there, that mental well-being, that emotional connection, because some patients hadn’t seen their dogs in months. But just having Fly there at the end of the bed, really made their days.
Earlier this year, Fly’s health began to deteriorate and Sami made the decision to semi-retire him in May.
“Around April, it got to the point where we had to put him in a pet stroller, because he couldn’t physically walk. His last visit was to my son’s school, even though he was in the stroller, he always perked up when the kids came to see him. I called up the school when we knew he was passing, saying we would be there for one last time if any of the children wanted to see him.
“I had parents coming up to me saying thank you, as some of their children were so scared of dogs and Fly was the only one they would come and say hello to.
“He was bombarded by loud kids, by the time we got him home and got him out of the stroller onto his bed, he passed within five minutes. He was waiting for my son, Flynn, to get home from school. It wasn’t easy having to deal with all of them kids, but I knew he would’ve regretted it not having that last chance to say goodbye.
“I made loads of envelopes for the children, full of paw prints, nose prints and pictures of Fly, just so they had something to remember him.”
Image credit: Sami Speakman
Sami said: “A lot of people don’t know Therapy Dogs exist, and it’s a shame. When I was out everyone would think he was my therapy dog and yes, he did help me with my seizures, but he was out there for other people and to make their day a bit better.
“All each dog is focused on is giving you that positivity, or as we say ‘pawsitivity’.
“Fly has had Tactical Aid Unit police officers, massive six-foot, beefy guys with guns turn to absolute mush and sit on the floor with him. You’ve got think about what they see on a daily basis and if just seeing Fly for 5 minutes made their day then it was so rewarding.
Before his passing, Fly had the opportunity to train up other dogs to carry on spreading the love and pawsitivity in his legacy.
Sami concluded: “He used to go through the Salford schools and academies in the libraries, for children who weren’t confident with reading but reading to him would be okay, because he wasn’t biased if they messed up a word, he’s just there so they can speak to him and feel comfortable.
“It’s hard knowing the impact he’s had on a lot of people and they’re never going to see his face again, he’s left a little hole, a space that can never be filled.”
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