Dog Stories

My name is Oskar and I am a Lurcher. My human friend has Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 and needs to inject insulin several times a day to stay alive. Because she has had this condition for almost 25 years, sometimes she does not recognise the symptoms which indicate that her blood sugar is dropping (hypoglycaemia).
If not treated this can lead to falls, unconsciousness, brain damage and even death. I have been specially trained to recognise these signs and taught ways of alerting my owner that her condition is changing to ensure that she stays safe. If she is confused , I can help her to find what she needs to make her better. If she is ill at night, I will realise and wake her in time to prevent a life threatening episode. It may seem like a big responsibility and a hard job for me, but I love what I do. My friend says I have changed her life, giving her the confidence and safety to do things she would not previously have done.

Hello, I was on the scrap heap not so long ago but I got lucky. I am an Emergency Response Dog called Bonnie. I was wandering the streets before being taken to the kennels where I met the trainers from Emergency Response Dogs. Once I had been trained lots of useful things to do I went to live in Wales with my new owner who has problems with mobility. I help in lots of ways - picking things up that she drops, retrieving the telephone, but my major task is an emergency response - my owner can fall quite easily so I have been trained to raise the alarm if this happens and get someone to help her. My owner says that I have given her a new life as she is able to go out on her own now with confidence and it's all because of me!

My name is Tyke - when I arrived at the rescue kennels I wasn't very well, I had been wandering for days the people at the kennels think that I had been abandoned. I am a real emergency response dog because I alert the emergency services that my owner needs help. My owner could not get out her house if there was a fire so I have been trained to detect smoke and respond to the sound of the smoke alarm and to press a button to call the fire service so that they can come and help her. My owner sometimes falls and needs an ambulance and I pull a special cord which calls for help. My owner calls me her four-legged lifeline!