Our doggie life savers
The four-legged heroes who have taught their owners to live again
THEY are the hero hounds that have taught their owners to live again – and in some cases saved their lives too.
Each of these four adorable pets provides a poignant illustration of the remarkable bond that can exist between dogs and humans.
Their extraordinary feats have earned them a place in the finals of the annual Friends for Life competition, run by Crufts dog show organisers The Kennel Club.
Dog-loving actor Martin Clunes, one of the judges who helped select the finalists, said: ‘It testifies how dogs just simply keep on giving.’
The fantastic four, who were unveiled yesterday, are:
1. LITTLE BOY’S HELPER WHO UNITED FAMILY
AZERLEY the golden retriever not only helps to keep autistic seven-year- old Cohen Hadfield safe, but has changed life for the whole family too.
Cohen’s mother Sarah said: ‘Cohen has no sense of danger. He holds on to a harness on Azerley, who braces himself and stops him from going somewhere he shouldn’t.’
Mrs Hadfield, and her husband, Chris, 35, from Rotherham got three-year-old Azerley a year ago from the charity Support Dogs.
Mrs Hadfield said: ‘He’s had a huge impact on us as a family. Now we can all go out together.’
2. PET WHO CAN SOOTHE A PANIC ATTACK
AFTER suffering a miscarriage following an ectopic pregnancy which left her unable to have children, Rosie Reid was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
It means she is prone to blackouts and could collapse.
But Boo the lurcher, five, instinctively knows when it is going to happen before music teacher Miss Reid, 28, does – and pats her on the arm to alert her. She said: ‘Boo is highly intuitive. An attack can be triggered by sights, sounds or smells and I don’t know when it’s going to happen but somehow she senses it every single time.
‘I then get myself in a safe place and sit down and she lies on my chest, comforting me until it passes. She’s done it hundreds of times.’ Miss Reid, of Swindon, Wiltshire, got Boo, a greyhound-border collie cross, as a ten- week- old puppy in 2010 after leaving hospital after losing her baby.
She simply wanted a dog as a companion, but just a week later Boo displayed her remarkable skill. ‘She has turned my life around. She gives me strength, love, confidence and support,’ said Miss Reid, whose relationship ended amid the stress of suffering the miscarriage.
3. CHEESE LOVER WITH A NOSE FOR DANGER
SCOOBY the Labrador has twice saved 13- year- old Sophie Pearman from going into a fatal diabetic coma – and all he asks in return is a squirt of his favourite Primula cheese spread.
He joined the family as an eight- week-old puppy and was trained by Sophie’s parents, Met Police dog handler Rob, 43, and Met Police officer Jane Pearman, 41, to fetch Sophie’s insulin injection kit and alert them when he senses something is wrong.
Mrs Pearman, of Tenterden, Kent, said: ‘Sophie was born very early with a bleed on her brain and has a mechanical pump in her skull to pump around spinal fluid.
‘She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2011.
‘Scooby can detect changes in her body odour when her blood sugar level is high or low.
‘He has woken up twice in the middle of the night when she has drifted into unconsciousness.’
She added: ‘We got him as a family pet but he was always very attentive to her from the moment we got him, he just picked up on what was happening to her.
‘He has never been wrong. He loves cheese and goes and sits in front of the fridge when he knows he’s done well.’
Sophie goes to a mainstream school – and Scooby also goes along to her after school activities like netball and street dancing and keeps an eye on her there too.
4. CUDDLY COMPANION WHO PICKS UP SOCKS
TEDDY Bear the Lhasa Apso-Bichon Frise cross is far more than just a cuddly companion to Louise Jacobs – he has given her back her independence.
Miss Jacobs, 27, suffered permanent spine and hip injuries when she was knocked off her bike by a reversing car at the age of 14.
As well as affecting her mobility, it left her depressed.
But Teddy, four, has put a spring back in her step – after she trained him to help her take her socks and jacket off and pick up things, all tasks she could not manage on her own.
Miss Jacobs, of Colchester, Essex, said: ‘I would not be here today without him. I was suicidal a few years after the accident. He is my lifeline, my best friend and my therapy.’
The winner will be announced at Crufts at the Birmingham NEC on March 13.