Pet therapy key to Annie Nolan’s health and happiness
Not only have they helped her battle her own mental health issues, but Annie Nolan credits her beloved pet dogs with helping her husband, former Bulldogs premiership star Liam Picken fight the concussion problems that forced him to retire.
Fiona Byrne
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Influencer and high profile animal advocate Annie Nolan has credited the love and loyalty of her dog Tofu for pulling her through a serious depression and changing her life.
Nolan also firmly believes that her menagerie of beloved pets, through their unconditional support and caring nature, helped her husband, Western Bulldogs premiership player Liam Picken, through his toughest days battling a concussion-related brain injury that ended his decorated AFL career.
“I have always had really strong feelings towards animals and that attachment has got me through some really hard times in my life,” Nolan, who goes by the Instagram name of Uncanny Annie, said.
“About 18 months ago I hit a really serious depressive episode. It was after I had been through a lot caring for my husband (Picken) who had a brain injury and it just happened to coincide with my dog being in a dog attack.
“When I was really struggling with the depression, he (Tofu) stood by my side the whole time.
“He was on medication recovering from his injuries and watching him get better made me realise that maybe I needed to get help and medication too.
“Once I got help my entire life changed. I credit my dog for getting me through that really tough period because he just stayed by my side the whole time and he showed me that human or animal it is so normal to need help.
“Also, when Liam was lying in bed having headaches (from his concussion) there were always cats and dogs with him because animals sense that you need them and they never left him.”
Nolan said she and Picken and their three children were embracing life now that their darkest days were behind them.
Picken, who has pledged to posthumously donate his brain to research into concussion, is working as a business development manager with AIA while Nolan is honouring her dogs, particularly Tofu, by opening Uncanny Animals, a canine grooming and beautification salon in Yarraville.
“Our life could not be better at the moment,” she said.
“Tofu is the face of my business, I have trained to be a dog groomer and I love being creative and showing care to these animals.”
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