Lexa Mae
Companion Nominee
Lexa Mae
Lexa Mae is my hero. When I got her as a puppy I was in a really dark place. I suffer from severe OCD and back then, depression, and I was having very dark thoughts. Lexa was given to me as something to keep me going and my life has changed dramatically since she came into it. Before Lexa I didn’t leave the house at all, but gradually through puppy training and walks, I began to socialise. This culminated in me demonstrating the good citizen dog scheme at Crufts to quite the audience, and doing many displays at local shows and fetes. Something that I never could have imagined before she came into my life. Lexa, however, has had plenty of her own struggles and challenges along the way. As an adolescent she began showing strange behaviour, suddenly going crazy, running blindly into things and biting anything in her path, including me! On several occasions, she even ran into walls and knocked herself out. Severe anxiety began around this time too. It took me about a year of seeing different specialists to get a diagnosis of limbic epilepsy and many drug trials to find out she doesn’t respond to medication! Together, Lexa and I learnt along the way how to manage her condition, and while she still has seizures and anxiety is a constant battle, there have been massive improvements. She’s now working towards doing a demonstration at Crufts again and having great fun with parkour which keeps me socialising. She’s really gotten me through a lot and I believe if it wasn’t for my perseverance in getting a diagnosis she may have been euthanized as she does bite when fitting. She is my world and I know that I can get through anything with her by my side. Throughout lockdown, she has given me a reason to get up every morning and her boundless enthusiasm makes every walk worthwhile and really brightens my day. Lockdown has had its own challenges for her too, as not seeing anyone or anything has made her anxiety worse. But then I’m more scared of people than ever at the moment too! I’m nominating Lexa for a SuperDog Companion Award because I know that we can get through it together. =)
Category: Companion
