England : Saturday, 1 January 2011 (Local Time)
When you’re in a wheelchair, it’s important to have someone in your life you can rely on.
Jenny Clarke certainly wouldn’t be without her loyal companion, who is young, friendly and eager to please. Not only does he help out around the home, he escorts her to the shops, answers the phone, collects the post and will even fetch her keys. All he wants in return is some tasty titbits, regular exercise and an occasional back-scratch.
For Jenny’s faithful friend is a 14-month-old golden retriever called Bubba, one of 21 assistance dogs provided by local charity Woofability, set up by Jenny and her husband Andy in 2009 for people with disabilities.
“I don’t know what I would do without mine,” says Jenny who broke her back in a work accident 28 years ago.
“I fell out of my wheelchair onto a busy main road once and my dog literally pulled me out of the way of the traffic.
“Our dogs are taught to bark on command so I told him to ‘speak’. A lorry driver who came to my rescue said that he hadn’t seen me but he’d heard the dog barking.
“Many people say their dogs are a lifeline, but my dog really did save my life that day.”
Although Bubba is still not fully trained – the process takes around two years from start to finish – he can already complete many practical tasks. But these clever canines also provide emotional support too.
“The bond between a dog and owner can be very deep because you rely on them for so many things. It’s almost as though they can read your mind at times,” says Jenny.
“I’ve always had dogs – even before the accident. I had a golden retriever called Sade and it was as if she instinctively knew what to do. If I dropped something on the floor, she would pick it up for me.” Jenny says that they can also help in social situations too.
“I remember the first time I went out to the shops in my wheelchair. It was as if I’d become invisible over night. People would talk over my head as if I didn’t exist. It’s not like that now though. Now people talk to the dog first but at least it is a good ice-breaker. Sometimes it can take you hours to go to the shops just to buy a pint of milk.”
All the dogs provided by Woofability come from local Kennel Club-registered breeders.
Matt Britten is one of the charity’s 16 volunteers who help to socialise the dogs. “Our dog died last year and because we can’t commit to having another one at the moment, this is a way of getting our dog fix,” he said.
Jenny says they set up Woofability to try to meet local demand.
“There are currently around 2,500 people across Dorset and Hampshire in need of an assistance dog," she said.
“Each costs £750 so we have to rely on our volunteers to help with fundraising. They are wonderful people. We couldn’t do it without them. We also visit schools with the dogs and give presentations because we want to show that being disabled does not mean the end of life – life goes on.”
Story and foto from : www.bournemouthecho.co.uk (reported by Nicky Findley)
