Latest news with #LucyMacLeod
BBC News
23-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Six furry-friends join London Fire Brigade
On Newsround we love to tell you about amazing animals doing amazing things, like dogs with jobs. So, we couldn't not share with you these newly-qualified fur-st responders. Six new well-being dogs have joined the team at London Fire Brigade to to help firefighters recover after tough dogs have been trained to visit over 102 fire stations across London and provide the firefighters with some canine love after a tough day at work. The London Fire well-being dog scheme launched in 2017 and has continued to grow since. These six newly qualified pups will join the dogs already part of the scheme and giving support across London. They include Blue who is a miniature Australian Shepherd, and Ted, a three-year-old cocker spaniel. Once the training is complete, the team will have ten dogs and their handlers, but they hope to continue to recruit more furry colleagues in the future. Lucy MacLeod is Blue's handler and volunteers alongside him. She said: "He is happy to be stroked, adores being made a fuss of and he is very calm around people."Adding, "Evidence shows that animals like Blue, can have a calming influence on people and provide a positive distraction; there's no judgement from a dog."Now, let's give them a round of a-paws for their new jobs!
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
London Fire Brigade: Six well-being dogs welcomed
London Fire Brigade (LFB) now has six newly qualified wellbeing dogs to help firefighters recover from traumatic scheme works by members of staff volunteering to be trained with their pet dogs to give emotional support to on a request basis, they can now visit any of the 102 fire stations across London to offer teams a morale commander for Hammersmith and Fulham, Lucy MacLeod, who volunteers with her dog Blue, said: "He is happy to be stroked, adores being made a fuss of and he is very calm around people." Lucy said that Blue, a miniature Australian Shepherd, "generally loves being around humans".She added: "Evidence shows that animals like Blue, can have a calming influence on people and provide a positive distraction; there's no judgement from a dog." To qualify to support colleagues, the duo had to complete 20 modules in the Oscar Kilo 9 (OK9) Dog Trust's handlers course and a behavioural assessment. Owners also had to pass a two-day Mental Health First Aiders course and a one-day OK9 peer support course. 'Bridging the gap' Once everyone has completed training, the team will have 10 dogs and their handlers but the fire service hopes to recruit more in the of health and wellbeing at London Fire Brigade, Natalie Elliott, said: "Our fire crews are called to all manner of incidents, not just burning buildings."Some of these incidents may have a significant impact on a person's mental health... it's impossible to know who and how someone is going to be affected from the outset, but we do know that some incidents will stay with our staff long after they've left the scene."The wellbeing dogs help provide support and are key to bridging the gap between early interventions such as peer-based post incident support and more structured support, such as trauma therapy, which the brigade provides."
