Latest news with #supportdog
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Epileptic teenage girl's support dog who can tell when she is about to have a seizure is missing in the Scottish Highlands
He has been specially trained to support a teenager with epilepsy by alerting her and her family to an impending seizure. But two-year-old golden retriever Louie has not been seen for a fortnight after managing to slip off his lead during a walk in the Highlands. An urgent search is now underway to reunite the support dog with 17-year-old Ellie Lynn, in Fort William. Her mother, Louise Manson, said the family had been out to Steall Falls, in Glen Nevis, on May 26 when Louie gave them the slip and has not been since. However, the 41-year-old believes the dog is still out there and said: 'We have heard barking and his scent has been picked up by a tracker dog, but other than that there's been very little. 'But it does give us hope that he's still alive. 'They are amazing dogs. 'I would hate to think he's out there hurt and we can't get to him.' The family have camped in the area and had barbecues in the hope of luring Louie back to them while local groups and walking visitors have also kept an eye out for him having seen social media posts about the missing dog. There are even wildlife cameras set up to see if he can be traced. Ms Manson said Louie and her daughter bonded from the very first time they met. She added: 'Louie picked Ellie, he stuck with her our whole visit. 'He's amazing, so bubbly and friendly. 'If Ellie is building up to a seizure he can somehow sense it and alerts us so we know what we're looking for and know if its going to develop. 'Even when Ellie is unwell he doesn't leave her side, he can sense when something is wrong with her. 'If anyone is ill, he lies with his head on our chests. 'He's Ellie's main support, like a security blanket.' The teenager told the BBC: 'Louie's really important because he helps me with my epilepsy. 'He doesn't really bark but he tries to make people notice something's wrong and takes them to where I am. 'Then he comes and lies on my chest or stomach. 'He's very friendly, happy and cuddly. He sits on your knee and everything. He doesn't really leave you alone. 'I miss him a lot. It's weird without him around the house.' Louie has a green collar with a small bow tie and is friendly to approach. Ms Manson said he could be on any of the routes from the waterfall and added: 'Please get in touch if you see him.'
BBC News
10-06-2025
- BBC News
Urgent search in Highlands for teenager's missing support dog
An urgent search is being carried out to find a teenager's support dog who has been missing in the Highlands for two a two-year-old golden retriever, is trained to let 17-year-old Ellie Lynn's family know when she is about to have an epileptic he went missing on the path to Steall Falls in Glen Nevis after slipping his mum, Louise Manson, 41, from Fort William, said the family have been leaving food and dirty clothes out on the route in the hope he will catch the scent. They have also camped in the area and had barbecues. Groups of locals and visiting walkers have been searching for him and wildlife cameras are being installed to see if they can spot family's hopes were raised at the weekend when a tracker dog picked up his scent after first smelling Louie's blanket. Louise told BBC News: "The dog smelled some of Louie's blanket and tracked him for a while - it must have been recent because the rain has been horrendous."It gives us a lot of hope that he's still alive. People have also been hearing barking."She said that when Louie went missing it was raining and the path was very narrow."A family were passing us, the kids were upset, the rain was pouring and Louie slipped his lead," she said."We looked down and he was literally gone. We don't know what happened to him."The family checked the river and scanned the area, going in different directions, but there was no sign of Louie."We went home, told our children, put a post on Facebook and before we knew it there were locals up here helping us search," Louise said."Louie is so friendly and bubbly. He's like one of the kids. He just sits on your knee, cuddles into you when you're watching TV. If you're not well he's always resting his head on your chest - he doesn't leave your side."If Ellie is home alone and feeling insecure he's by her side. If she's building up to a seizure he can somehow sense it and alerts us so we know what we're looking for and know if its going to develop."He's pretty amazing." Louise said it had been a real struggle for the family since he went missing."It's been really difficult," she said. "But the help has been amazing, phenomenal."He's got to be somewhere. I've heard of dogs appearing five years later, five months later."He's a member of the family. He sits at the table with us when we have dinner. He's definitely special."She added: "Ellie's lost without him."Ellie said: "He's really important because he helps me with my epilepsy. He doesn't really bark but he tries to make people notice something's wrong and takes them to where I am. Then he comes and lies on my chest or stomach."He's very friendly, happy and cuddly. He sits on your knee and everything. He doesn't really leave you alone."I miss him a lot. It's weird without him around the house."
Daily Mail
02-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Emotional twist for autistic girl heartlessly separated from her support dog at airport
An non-verbal autistic girl has been reunited with her support dog after the pet was blocked from accompanying her on a flight - leaving the child without her beloved pooch for several weeks. Teddy, a Labrador, was accompanied by a trainer and departed from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the flight to Lisbon, Portugal on Friday, according to the news outlet G1. The ordeal began back on April 8, after 12-year-old Alice Porto, who suffers from autism, moved to Portugal with her family after her father, a doctor, accepted a job there. The family was waiting to check in at the airport when a representative for TAP Air Portugal informed them that the ticket for Teddy had been cancelled the previous day because the dog's documents were not going to be accepted upon landing in Portugal. After obtaining a court order and the proper documentation, a second attempt to get Teddy overseas on May 24 fell short when Teddy he was blocked from sitting with Alice's sister, Hayanne, on the flight because he was not traveling with the person to whom he provided support. The airline suggested that the family place Teddy in the plane's hold, but they rejected the offer, arguing that he could not be placed in the cargo area because he was a service dog. The airline countered that not doing so would ignore the company's operation guidelines and put the passengers and crew in danger. Hayanne and Teddy were booked later in the day on another flight, which was delayed by three hours. Just as they were set to board, the airline obtained a court order allowing the aircraft to leave Brazil without Alice's sister and her dog. To make matters worse, the family had to obtain another International Veterinary Certificate because the document would have expired by the time the flight arrived in Portugal. The separation generated episodes of emotional distress for Alice, who spent all of last week awaiting for Teddy to arrive. Her parents had a difficult time explaining why she had to wait to be reunited with Teddy. 'She communicates through an app,' her father told G1. 'We explained that it was an unforeseen event, but we can't explain this injunction situation and the real reason why the dog didn't board the plane.' The failed attempts caused Silvio Costa Filho, Brazil's Minister of Ports and Airports, to intervene last Tuesday. As part of the agreement between the airline and the family, Teddy was allowed to board the flight with Hayanne and Ricardo Cazarotte, who retired from training dogs for the São Paulo Military Police's kennel and who was responsible for training Teddy for a year and a half. 'We who train know how important this dog is. It must already be triggering several crises,' Cazarotte told Brazilian news outlet G1. 'If you take the autistic person out of his routine, it triggers aggression, anxiety. My role here is to organize this meeting, to make her happy and him happy too.'
BBC News
24-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Student 'so grateful' for life-changing support dog
A student who relies on walking aids due to a health condition said having her family pet trained as a support dog has changed her Riddick, 24, from Ashton Gate, Bristol, has Scheuermann's Kyphosis, an excessive curvature of the spine which left her needing a walking stick or wheelchair to move her condition worsened, Ms Riddick lost the confidence to go out alone, which led to her taking two years out of her forensic psychology degree at Bath Spa after her labrador Bleddyn was trained as a specialist disability dog by the National Support Dogs charity, she is back studying with Bleddyn by her side. Ms Riddick said she caught a train from Bristol to Chelmsford recently which is something she would "never have done" without Bleddyn by her side."I was very anxious previously [so] I would have just relied on lifts or driving myself," she she said was now "trying to get more out of my comfort zone" and having Bleddyn trained as a support dog had given her "a lot more confidence".Ms Riddick was born with Scheuermann's Kyphosis but wasn't diagnosed until 2012 after complaining about back pain from when she was was a competitive dancer and sporty before being told she needed surgery to avoid irreversible after an eight-hour thoracic spinal fusion surgery in 2019, her balance did not improve and she needed a walking got Bleddyn four years ago to help her through depression due to her condition, and was advised by a friend to look at getting him trained to support her, so she applied to Support Dogs in charity trains specialist assistance dogs to help children and adults with autism, epilepsy or a physical disability. In January this year, Ms Riddick suffered a fourth acute paralysis episode and was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) which left her needing to use a wheelchair more she said she ass "so grateful" to have Bleddyn to help with dressing, opening and closing doors, and with washing and drying can also fetch her walking stick, keys and phone and he has an alert bark and can get help if she falls."I think it's incredible, the amount of people [Support Dogs] help [and] the amount of confidence it gives people with disabilities," she said. Scoliosis Support and Research says Scheuermann's kyphosis is a condition where the front sections of the vertebrae - the small bones that make up the spine - grow more slowly than the back usually present with it from about 10-16 years of age, and often experience back pain, especially during early teenage years.
