06/10/2026
From fear to growing confidence — celebrating Addie 🐾💙
We’re incredibly proud to share the wonderful work of our dog trainer and behaviourist, Sarah Wattie, and one very brave young lady, Addie. 💛
Over the past few months, Sarah has had the pleasure of supporting Addie through the Kids Around Dogs (KAD) programme.
After a frightening experience with a large off-lead dog when she was younger, Addie found being around dogs incredibly difficult. Even visiting her best friend, who has a dog, could feel daunting. But Addie wanted things to change, and her family reached out for support.
Together, Sarah and Addie followed the Kids Around Dogs protocol through seven virtual sessions and three in-person sessions, with a little help from a wonderful helper dog, Angus. 🐶
They explored dogs’ body language, how dogs communicate, what their behaviour can tell us and, importantly, what Addie could do if a dog approached her.
And week by week, her confidence began to grow. 💙
Addie didn’t just complete the challenges Sarah set her — she often surprised everyone by taking the next step herself. One week, she proudly announced that she had stroked her friend’s dog! 🥹
By their final session, the transformation was wonderful to see. Addie was walking Angus, asking him to sit, lie down and give a paw, and even offering him treats from her hand — slobber and all! 🐾
Sarah says:
“Watching Addie’s confidence grow has been such a joy. She has worked incredibly hard and shown so much determination. Her wonderfully supportive family and I are so proud of everything she has achieved.”
A huge thank you also goes to Angus and his lovely caregivers, who went above and beyond by bringing him to meet Addie and her family. Your kindness helped make these very special moments possible. 💛
Sarah loves staying in touch with her KAD families after their sessions have finished, celebrating their continued progress and being there to offer support if any obstacles arise along the way.
If your child is frightened or anxious around dogs and you’d like to find out how Sarah and the Kids Around Dogs programme could help, please send us a message or contact Sarah on 📞 07939 568723.
You can also find Kids Around Dogs on Instagram and Facebook.
Well done, Addie. What an incredible journey — you have so much to be proud of! 🐾💙