HAVE DOG, WILL TRAVEL: Jane takes a spin with Penny

A little dog called Penny has changed the life of wheelchair-bound Jane Russell.

The canny cocker spaniel not only carries out domestic duties like loading the washing machine, she also has more serious responsibilities like alerting help if Jane is in distress.

Jane has suffered from ME - chronic fatigue syndrome - all of her adult life, and has been in a wheelchair for the past decade.

But when she discovered the Sheffield-based dog training charity Support Dogs, she also unlocked amazing skills in the dog she had raised from a pup, the first in York to be nurtured by the organisation.

Both Jane and Penny had around 170 hours of training before Penny could wear the fluorescent Support Dog jacket which is now a familiar sight wherever her owner goes.

Jane, of Stockton Lane, Heworth, said: "Before Penny, I'd always been dependent on other people. She's given me my freedom and confidence back and changed my life.

"The biggest difference I find is that people talk to me now. People will bend down to pat her and then they're at my level.

"Penny can do just about everything for me. In the house she puts the washing in the machine and takes it out again. She can bring me the phone, the remote control and the post without leaving a mark on any of them.

"When we're out and about she picks things up if I drop them, and barks to get help if I fall out of my wheelchair."

The inseparable team live an energetic life. She's the star of countless talks her owner gives at Women's Institutes and Mother's Union meetings around the country.

If any organisation wants to be put in touch with Jane and Penny they should contact the Evening Press newsdesk. Support Dogs can be reached on 0114 257 7997.

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