Dan Smith and Vesta
Dan Smith’s life changed in an instant when the car he was driving slid on black ice and hit a tree. He broke his neck, five vertebrae, his left shoulder, most of the bones in his legs – amongst other things – and had to have half his right foot amputated as he was cut ou
t of the vehicle.
After six months in hospital Dan had to adapt to life in a wheelchair as a paraplegic with no movement below his arms. He lived with his parents for a short time and then moved in to his own flat in Warwick where he leads an independent life with assistance dog Vesta.
Vesta was partnered with Dan in March 2008 and, as well as helping him with vital and potentially life-saving tasks; the pretty black Labrador has become a companion for him during the day when Dan’s friends and family are out working. “The companionship is one of the biggest differences that Vesta has made to my life since I had her as it can be pretty lonely being on your own most days,” he says.
Dan is in continual pain and has a pump in his stomach to dispense drugs to stop spasms. This means he has to be very careful when bending so as not to dislodge it. “It is very helpful to have Vesta to pick things up for me if I drop them as bending can be quite dangerous. I am also quite prone to getting serious infections which give me the shakes due to having a very high temperature.When this happens – which can be any time – I need to phone someone quickly to come and help me and get the antibiotics I need to take.
“I have trained Vesta to get me the phone and bring it to me wherever I am in the flat. This is vital. I can be lying in bed in the dark and send her to get the phone and she will do it immediately,” he explains.
Having the peace of mind to know that Vesta is there to help in a crisis is not only comforting for Dan but also his family – who all love the dog as much as he does.
“It is brilliant what the charity has done for me. Having Vesta has made a big difference to my life.” he says.
Kathy Hancock & Gilbert
Kathy Hancock is not unfamiliar with the canine world, but her new assistance dog Gilbert, is a first for Kathy.Before her accident, Kathy worked for the NCDL (now Dogs Trust) and had nine dogs of her own. After her accident Kathy never thought she would be able to have a dog again so having Gilbert has been amazing. Kathy suffers from a rare condition which went undiagnosed for years until one day she dislocated her hip which resulted in her falling down two flights of stairs and permanently damaging her back.
Now, as a paraplegic with a degenerative disease, Kathy uses a wheelchair for her mobility.Her condition means that she has to be careful when picking up objects or bending over as she could dislocate any joint in her body especially her spine/neck or break a bone in her hands or arms. Despite her medical condition, Kathy truly lives her life to the full, thanks to the support of her assistance dog, Gilbert, a beautiful two year-old yellow Labrador trained by Dogs for the Disabled.Gilbert and Kathy became partners in May 2008, as Kathy says, “It was love at first sight.
Gilbert now helps Kathy with a range of daily tasks that could potentially put her in danger of breaking a bone.He picks up anything she might drop on the floor so that she doesn’t have to bend down, opens doors, fetches her post and turns on the lights. He also helps her to undress taking off socks, gloves, t-shirts and her trousers.
Gilbert coming into Kathy’s life also marks a real turning point for her. After her divorce, she suffered from depression, to the point where on some days, she couldn’t bring herself to get out of bed.Kathy was living alone with her daughter away at college which meant that there were days when she didn’t see anyone at all.
Those days are now a distant memory for Kathy.She has now developed several roles working as a volunteer with other organisations working with children, some of which have disabilities.Kathy enjoys wheelchair rugby, tennis and basket ball, now that she has the confidence to travel in her car with Gilbert in the back acting as a reassuring presence.Gilbert has also enhanced Kathy’s volunteering, helping children to overcome their fears so that they can learn new skills and abilities.
Helen and Zoe Vickers with Hatti
Helen and Zoe are really set for a bright future, now they have Hatti with them to help them on the way. Zoe was paralysed from the chest down as a result of an operation on her spine in 2006.She has use of her arms and loves to play with Hatti, throwing her favourite squeaky toy for her. Despite her disability, Zoe is now looking forward to her new life with assistance dog Hatti.
When you meet Zoe with her new partner, her smile literally lights up the room. Even though the team has only been together for a relatively short time, Zoe’s mum Helen has already seen the difference that Hatti is making to Zoe’s life, “Before we had Hatti, Zoe didn’t like to spend any time alone in her room. She was always worried that I might not hear her or know if she needed help. Now we have Hatti, Zoe spends lots more time on her own in her room, and with the door shut – something she would never have done before, because she knows that Hatti can open the door for her. Hatti is helping make Zoe more independent.”
Helen knew that there were dogs being trained that could help a child with a disability. At the beginning of 2008, Zoe helped her mum track down Dogs for the Disabled via the internet and got in touch to see what services they could offer.
Now, five months later, the team of Helen, Zoe and Hatti have just qualified and are now a full-fledged assistance dog team.“Now we have Hatti, I can see that Zoe’s confidence has really grown. People now come up and chat to her about Hatti, and that is helping to build Zoe’s confidence when we’re out and about.”
Since the partnership has been together, they have been perfecting all Hatti’s taskwork including picking up pens and pencils for Zoe and opening the doors in the house. They are now working on Hatti learning to retrieve Zoe’s mobile phone.
Helen would recommend other families to apply to Dogs for the Disabled for an assistance dog, “Hatti is giving Zoe the companionship she needs which in turn will give Zoe her independence. I would definitely recommend it to anyone – go for it because it’s wonderful.”
How does Hatti make Zoe feel? “She’s really important to me; she’s like one of my best friends.” That just about sums it all up.
