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- You and Natasha have a massive tree in your back garden; you couldn’t work out how old it was, but it was clear the whole garden area had been designed just so it could be directly centre.
- You'd caught Jeff climbing up it before, but a simple no had always been enough for him to bow his head and hop back down
- This time though, he'd waited until you were busy inside and climbed up to the highest branches of the tree
- He curled into a ball and shut his eyes, ready for a peaceful nap in a place where he couldn't be disturbed
- When you couldn't see Jeff in the garden, you assumed the shark had come back into the house, so you shut the door and went back in to see Natasha
- Outside, Jeff was startled awake when a pigeon swooped and perched on a nearby branch
- Fearing his worst nightmare – Susan the farm chicken – had found him, Jeff screamed and scrambled to get away, forgetting he was up a tree.
- You and Natasha ran outside when you heard Jeff's scream, just in time to see him plummet and hit the ground with force.
- Natasha was the first to move, instructing you to call an ambulance while she checked on Jeff
- He was mostly conscious at the least but very dazed, and when the medics came they lifted him very gently, in fear that he may have internal injuries.
- After a short wait, and a decision on whether to bring Jeff to a vet or a doctor, Jeff was taken to a paediatrician
- His leg and fin were bandaged due to some bruising, but aside from that, Jeff walked away perfectly fine.
- The real issue came later on. Even after he was physically healed, you noticed he swerved around trees and trembled at the sight of any bird – but especially chickens.
- You understood why Jeff was suddenly anxious, but when he didn’t get better, you sought out methods to help him, eventually taking him to therapy.
- Instead of going to a therapist where you would have to act as a translator, Jeff was introduced to a therapy dog – a young golden retriever trained to comfort.
- Jeff bonded with her instantly, and they spent the whole of the first session playing together.
- It was the most relaxed you’d seen Jeff since the accident, and the service dog seemed to enjoy the play date too.
-You took the two of them to the park for the following sessions. The place was littered with trees and the occasional bird, but as soon as Jeff cowered, the retriever would nudge Jeff forward, even approaching the bird herself to show it was no threat.
- She also enjoyed scratching herself against trees and beckoned Jeff to join her.
-Very slowly, Jeff began to recover. It would be a long road until he trusted birds again, and you doubted he would climb any more trees. But maybe – one day – Jeff would return to the farm, and he would face Susan the chicken with no fear.