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James: “You helped us access a therapy dog for my autistic son… we’re so grateful”

Cheshire Crew Manager James McCall has shared how our Welfare team helped his family welcome an assistance dog into their lives — and how it’s transformed the world of their young son, Bodhi.

For Cheshire Crew Manager James McCall, watching his five-year-old son, Bodhi, interact with a trained assistance dog for the first time was a moment he’ll never forget.

In that moment, James saw his little boy – who is autistic – light up in a way he’d never seen before. Bodhi, who is non-verbal and often struggles to connect with others, suddenly interacted… and James knew immediately this was what he needed.

A woman and a child walk through a store, with the child holding a leash connected to a yellow Labrador guide dog wearing a yellow and blue vest. Shelves with pet supplies are visible on the left.

Thanks to support from our Welfare team, James’ family has since welcomed an assistance dog of their own – and the difference, James says, has been incredible.

“We found out Bodhi was autistic in summer of 2024,” says James. “We’d known there was something different about him, but we didn’t know what it was. He’s non-verbal and there’d be moments where he’d struggle to interact with others his age.

“We had lots of tests to start with to check if he was deaf, before they diagnosed him as autistic. From there, it was the process of planning how we moved forward.

A young child in striped pajamas sleeps on a bed beside a yellow dog. The bedding has star patterns, and a wall mural of the moon, Earth, and constellations is visible in the background. Soft light filters through red curtains.

“Unfortunately, there wasn’t much support readily available and it felt very overwhelming. Our question was simple really: ‘What’s Bodhi’s life going to look like from this point on?’

“As a parent, you can’t help but panic when you’re faced with all those challenges in one go, but I took on the firefighter mentality and went into problem solving mode – looking at what we could do and researching everything I could.”

James recalled reading about one of his colleagues receiving support from us previously to access a therapy dog for his autistic son – and it prompted him to start looking into assistance dogs himself.

A smiling young boy in a brown and white jacket stands next to a yellow Labrador wearing a harness. Behind them, another person holds the dog's leash. Numerous fish swim in a large aquarium tank in the background.

“I actually started talking to the same people as my colleague had, and they began assessing if we’d be eligible – which fortunately, we were,” says James.

“He then invited us to go and meet his son and their dog – and honestly, Bodhi was a different child, it was amazing. He was truly interacting for the first time and it just confirmed how much we needed to pursue it ourselves.”

James was initially told they could be facing up to a year’s wait, in which time he took Bodhi to some play dates with assistance dogs. On one of them, they met a dog called Toby.

A young boy in dinosaur pajamas sits on a couch, focused on a tablet, while a tan dog lies next to him. The boy’s feet rest on the dog, and a soft toy is nearby. The scene is cozy and softly lit.

“At that point, he was lined up for another family,” says James. “We then got a call just before Christmas saying he was no longer going there, and after seeing the connection between him and Bodhi, they’d love for us to have him – which was fantastic news.

“That’s when we stated thinking about meeting the cost and suddenly having a big deposit to pay, which was very overwhelming.”

James knew about the support we offer, through his colleagues, and recalled that our Welfare team can sometimes offer financial support and guidance.

A young boy stands by a metal gate, looking through it, while a yellow autism assistance dog wearing a blue vest stands beside him on a sunny day. Signs are posted on the gate.

“I’ve done lots of fundraising for the charity, car washes and other things, but I’ve never needed support,” he says. “Getting in touch was so simple and everyone was really nice. It’s not easy to admit you need help – especially when it’s financial – but talking to someone who isn’t directly connected to you is actually really good.

“They offered some financial support towards the deposit and thanks to that, we now have Toby at home with us. Everyone I spoke to was absolutely amazing.”

James says the whole family have benefitted hugely from having Toby around – but particularly Bodhi.

A firefighter in a bright pink uniform and helmet runs across a paved courtyard carrying a coiled hose, while other firefighters in standard gear participate in activities nearby. Orange cones and spectators are visible in the background.

“It’s been such a special moment, and we’re incredibly grateful for the support from the charity that helped make this possible.

“It’s also meant we can have a bit of a break, because Bodhi has that outlet with Toby now.”

If you feel you’d benefit from our health and wellbeing support, you can call our Support Line on 0800 389 8820, make an enquiry online or visit the ‘Access Support’ tab in My Fire Fighters Charity.