‘Poppy’s my little guardian angel’
After an accident on holiday left Bobbie Hubbard Marks paralysed from the waist down, it became difficult to go out on her own. But everything has changed now she has Poppy in her life.
‘I always used to be a very active person, and enjoyed riding and competing.
But after a disastrous operation abroad following a fall on holiday, I ended up confined to a wheelchair. It was very difficult to come to terms with, as I’d had such a busy, outdoor life before. And I could no longer carry on with my nursing career. After looking after others for years, now I was the one needing care. I felt it was tough for my partner Jenny.
Then we decided to get a pet, to bring some happiness back into our lives. We both realised almost straight away that Poppy, our new black labrador puppy, was unusually clever, fetching and bringing things back so quickly.
After reading an article about assistance dogs in a magazine, I was inspired to put Poppy through the training. She took to it like a duck to water and I particularly enjoyed joining her for the final two weeks of training. It was such an incredible experience for us to learn together.
Now Poppy assists me in all sorts of ways, from helping me to dress and undress, fetching things and loading the washing machine.
She even accompanies me and Jenny to our weekly wheelchair ballroom dancing class. Jenny and I wanted to do something different together and Poppy’s become the team mascot!
These days I can go out anywhere on my own, and I know that I’m safe when Poppy’s with me.
She’s given me my independence and my safety. She really is my little guardian angel.’