Vinnie the wonder dog is a ‘life saver’ for her grateful owner....and helps her cope with a rare bone condition.
Sue Holmes, who has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, uses a harness which Vinnie pulls to apply pressure when her joints pop out of place.
The 55-year-old relies on the highly trained Labrador in her daily life - he even gets her drinks out of the fridge.
The inherited condition affects the connective tissues supporting her bones, and stopped her working as a nurse 10 years ago.
Sue, of Cockermouth, Cumbria, said: “My shoulders, hips, knees can all dislocate without doing much movement at all.
“I couldn’t go on the ward without having my shoulders taped to my body so they didn’t dislocate.”
But Vinnie helps her deal with dislocations, which can happen on any of her joints.
He has a special harness which he pulls in a certain direction until she tells him to stop.
“Then he’ll keep that pressure on until my joint is put back into place.
He has transformed my life,” she added.
Eight-year-old Vinnie is also a diabetic alert dog, barking if he smells Sue’s blood sugar levels getting low.
“I’m less anxious,” she added. “If I have a fall he’ll go and get help for me. He’ll go to the fridge and open the door.
“Inside is a basket with a can of coke. He will get the basket, bring it to me and then go back and close the fridge door.”
Sue’s husband Mark, 56, told how Vinnie became his wife’s companion six years ago.
“He is a bit of a life saver,” he added.
They are now raising money for the charity Canine Partners, who provide assistance dogs and fund their £30,000 training.
It places about 78 dogs a year like Vinnie. They help people with complex physical disabilities.
Sue’s father, Bernard Ellis, has spent the past six years building and furnishing a doll’s house.
Money raised from its sale will be donated to the charity.
