A retired police officer has credited her beloved dog with getting her out of a ‘very dark place’ after being diagnosed with PTSD.
Kerry Snuggs had served with Hampshire Constabulary for 21 years, working as a link officer to support the deaf community, as well as responding to incidents.
But one call would change her life forever - ending her career, and leaving her struggling with her mental health.
The 42-year-old mum said: “I was responding to a job where a chap was trying to harm himself. I had to wrestle him to the ground to prevent him from jumping into some water and unfortunately it ended my career.
“I hit my knee on the concrete, which needed to have a nasty operation, which left me using a wheelchair and crutches for nearly 18 months, alongside having extensive physiotherapy.”
The career-ending injury saw Kerry, from Fareham, retire from the force in 2012 - which led to a decline in her mental health.
She added: “Once I retired I lost my identity a bit really. My mental health deteriorated quite rapidly and I hit a very dark place where I got suicidal and was diagnosed with PTSD.”
But following a breakdown in 2018, Kerry looked into getting a service dog, with the help of the Service Dogs UK charity.
It was here she met Bert. A springer cross basset hound that would transform her life.
“He literally looked down into my soul,” Kerry said, welling up at recalling the moment she met the rescue dog.
“He saw how broken I was, and I saw how broken he was. He literally looked at me and I was just at ease with him immediately. I just felt calm and I hadn’t felt like that for so long.”
Bert had been rescued by Dogs Trust after having been found tied up after being ‘cruelly treated’, but was partnered with Kerry in 2019, saving each other.
She added: “He’s my absolute rock. Bert got me out of a very dark place, out of isolation and able to socialise again.
“With PTSD I go into ‘space’ and check out, but he brings me back to reality. He’s very clingy and cuddly. He knows I get nightmares and when I zone out because he gives me a nudge. He’s so tuned in to my anxiety it’s unreal.”
The retired officer had isolated herself from friends and family for over a year, but Bert gave her the confidence to get out and socialise again.
She said: “I would make excuses not to go out. I didn't like busy places and I like to know where my exits are.
“When Covid hit, Bert had got me into a really good place. I felt like I was locked up for three years because I’d been in isolation, started to come out and regain my confidence again and then was forced back into isolation with the lockdown.
“Coming out of Covid has been more of a challenge and I'm gradually getting used to being sociable again and getting the courage to go out into the community.”
Meanwhile, Kerry set up her own charity supporting the people of Fareham, and was awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for her work.
Her Acts of Kindness charity was set up after she got the community to rally around to help find a grieving widow’s lost wedding ring.
She said: “When I was sitting in my leg brace and couldn’t do anything myself, I felt the community could help after her husband had died of cancer. I set up a Facebook group of around 20 people and they went out in search of the ring, managed to find it and return it to the owner.
“The group grew, offering acts of kindness around the Fareham area, and it’s gone on to be a very successful charity having carried out more than 40,000 acts of kindness.”
Kerry and Bert headed out in the community with a group of volunteers to offer a foodbank through the Covid-19 lockdown, after their local food bank closed, delivering more than 10,000 food parcels to people who needed them.
Kerry added: “I do it because I hate the feeling of people feeling lonely in what is their crisis. I believe that we are stronger together and that the community can really support those who are struggling.
“But a big thanks to Bert, he is a big part of me and without him I’m lost.”
