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\n Former police officer, Debbie Harris says she’s ‘in awe’ of her dog, Rogue who was trained by a charity to support her with symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis.\n <\/p>\n
Debbie left her role in West Midlands Police to look after her husband who had a head-on collision which nearly killed him. However the stress of the situation manifested in MS symptoms for Debbie, a condition which she says she first had signs of in her twenties.<\/p>\n
Debbie’s health deteriorated and, following a formal diagnosis in 2007, she and Steve\u00a0moved to Wales for a slower-paced rural life, finding a home with plenty of land for their animals; one of which has proved to be a life-changer for Debbie.<\/p>\n
Their Cocker Spaniel, ‘Rogue’ showed early signs that she was more than just a pet and could potentially help make life easier for Debbie. Rouge was\u00a0trained by the national Support Dogs charity and the pair recently qualified as a successful disability assistance dog partnership.<\/p>\n
Amazingly, Rogue can help Debbie to get dressed and undressed, open doors and push access buttons as well as picking up dropped items like Debbie\u2019s walking stick, fetching named items from another room and even emptying the washing machine.<\/p>\n
Having Rogue trained as a support dog has even helped Debbie to rekindle her love of swimming.<\/p>\n
Debbie said:\u00a0\u201cWhen I\u2019m in the water, I\u2019m relaxed and the pain eases – but when I stand up and go to get changed, it\u2019s there again.<\/p>\n
\u201cRogue comes swimming with me and sits on the poolside. I\u00a0have the walker and drop all my clothes and when I\u2019m in the shower, she will pull the towel off the hook and bring me my clothes!<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always said our dogs should do some kind of work, so I said that Rogue could be my helper.\u201d<\/p>\n
Debbie applied to Support Dogs in late 2023 and following a number of assessments, medical reports and home visits, Rogue went along to Support Dogs\u2019 training centre in April last year for four weeks of intensive training, followed two weeks later by Debbie to put everything Rogue had learned into practice.<\/p>\n
Debbie added: \u201cWhat Support Dogs have taught her is fantastic. I\u2019m absolutely gobsmacked that she does it \u2013 I\u2019m in awe of her.<\/p>\n
“She reads the room and if I drop something, she\u2019s there to pick it up before I even ask her.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for Rogue, I probably wouldn\u2019t go out. She\u2019s given me the confidence so I can go out independently from Steve and the family and know she\u2019s going to be there to help me in some way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m amazed by Support Dogs\u2019 staff \u2013 they had her for a month and took her from being my pet that I had done basic training with to doing things where I was like \u2018Is this really my pet? I can\u2019t believe it!\u2019 I\u2019m so grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n