As is usually the case, circumstances contrived against Jean on that fateful day. Originally expecting to be picked up by her boyfriend, she received a call to say his motorbike was playing up and instead set out to meet him on her own. It was a journey she never completed but to this day she does not remember what happened, only waking up in hospital with severe injuries to her lower limbs and pelvis that required major surgery.

After twenty years of getting around on crutches, her condition continued to deteriorate with the systemic inflammation of soft tissue around all the joints in lower body. Three attempts at replacing her hip joint failed and eventually in 1995 she gave in to the inevitable and became wheelchair bound - albeit as you might expect of a former biker - in a motorized vehicle!

“For me it was yet another way of staying independent,” explained Jean. “I didn’t need to ask anyone to do something for me, I could either do it myself or get Tammy to do it for me. She helped me every single day with simple tasks like opening doors, picking up items, helping with dressing and undressing. At work Tammy would also collect or deliver reports and paperwork from and to me. She is also very good at collecting donation cheques for Support Dogs that I often pick up.”

Of course, as many of our Disability Assistance Dog owners will tell you, it’s not just about the task work.

“When you have an obvious disability, there is a tendency for people to ignore you ,” commented Jean. “People often find it difficult to talk to you but when there is a dog there, it’s as if there is a common bond that breaks down those barriers. The only problem is that many people assuming I am collecting for charity when I’m out with my dog and try to give me money!”

Instead Jean continued to work with Tammy work every day and pass their annual assessments. Until the moment finally arrived last January when Rita Howson (Head of Training) rang to say the charity had found a dog that they thought would be ideal for Jean. Although it was still a shock, Jean had become more open to idea of a new dog.

“ I began to realize that Tammy was becoming more and more content to rest and work was getting less attractive to her as it does to us all as we get older!. It was nevertheless very important to me that I could keep Tammy as a family pet and that any new dog would accept Tammy and vice versa.”

That new dog turned out to be Sasha a gorgeous black Labrador who had been raised with an older dominant dog so the trainers felt she would fit in with Tammy. The pair met up for the first time and the National Training Centre later that month but not alone.

Jean explains, “ I brought Tammy, my daughter Jolene and grandchildren Grace and Madison along to meet Sasha. Family life is very important to me and I needed to know that Sasha would fit in with my family and not just me. I was nervous about how Tammy would react but the two of them hit it off straight away although Sasha certainly knew who was the boss!”

Jean confesses that she didn’t have any strong feeling towards Sasha at that time but knew she had to have a second dog if she was to keep her independence.

After Sasha’s initial short socialization in foster care and further meetings, Jean along with grand daughter Sadie finally took Sasha home to Blackburn to continue socialization and start developing a closer bond.

“The great thing about training your second dog,” comments Jean, “Is that you don’t have to have the dog away in training for quite as long as you already know how to continue to develop their skills. The hardest part was having to leave Tammy at home as you should only work one dog at any time. Although Tammy didn’t seem to mind , it still felt very strange not to have her there.”

There were other difficulties too. “The emotional side of the second dog training is hard and it is time consuming as have two dogs to look after training one whilst working with the other,” Jean explains. “But it is worth it to maintain your independence. Personally I prefer dog carers to human carers because they don’t ask what you need something for, they just do it! But you do end up with a jealous husband !!

Sasha finally qualified and received her jacket in August to the delight of Jean and her family. “I not only have a great dog to help me with lots of every day tasks, but Tammy is going to become a fundraising dog. She just loves all the attention and will sit all day and soak up the adulation!”