Life With Superdogs

13/06/2026

Rowley and Luna had lots of fun on their walk this morning running around together and going for a swim. For Assistance Dogs, play time is just as important as work and training! 🐾

12/06/2026

Luna is learning a new medical response task - water bottle retrieval (from my wheelchair)🚰♿️

Alt Text: Video shows Luna learning how to retrieve a water bottle which is attached to my wheelchair.

10/06/2026

Learning to trust a new Assistance Dog:

Rowley and I have been a partnership for almost 8 years and with over 6,000 medical alerts under his belt, I trust him with my life!

I don’t have anywhere near the number of episodes I used to which is wonderful, but in some ways it has made training my successor dog harder because she doesn’t have as many opportunities to practice in real life situations. We have relied heavily on using scent samples to keep on top of her skills.

Learning to trust a new dog is hard especially when they’re still learning, but Luna now has 15 real life medical alerts in her log book (and around 50 using scent samples) so I am starting to believe her when she says I need to lie down. She has alerted to 6 real medical episodes at home, 4 whilst watching my fiancé play tennis and padel, 1 whilst we were playing darts, 1 in a cafe, 1 at a train station, 1 whilst on an off-duty walk at the park, and 1 during a church service. Every single alert is a potentially life-saving moment.

She has demonstrated that she can detect episodes in a range of environments with various distractions, including when at a distance from me and during play. This is incredible and I am so proud of her, but it will still take time for me to me to feel as confident with her as I do with Rowley. This is completely normal, building a partnership takes time!

I am so grateful for my life-saving Superdogs. 💕

09/06/2026

If you live in Surrey and have a disability or long term health condition please consider taking part in my research project. Thank you!

Peer Research Project – Disability Awareness and Accessibility in Surrey

We are conducting a research project to understand more about the type of challenges faced by Disabled people when accessing businesses and services across Surrey. We hope to make a difference by providing Disability Awareness Training where it is most needed, coproduced by those with lived experience.

You can help by completing a short anonymous survey about your experiences, which should take 10-15 minutes. If you need assistance to complete this our Involvement Officer, Megan, will be happy to help you over the phone. You can contact her on 07454 759684 (weekdays 10am-4pm).

Survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/disabilityawarenessinsurrey

We are also looking for 10 people who would like to join an online focus group to discuss their experiences in more detail. The group will meet on zoom on Wednesday 8th July 2:30pm-3:30pm.

If you would like take part in the focus group, please contact Megan to book your place. Email: [email protected] Telephone or SMS: 07454 759684 (weekdays 10am-4pm).

For further information on this research project and FAQ's please see our Research Project Information Sheet which is available in standard print, large print, plain text and Easy Read formats here: surreycoalition.org.uk/disability-awareness-research-project/

[Image description: graphic of a group of people including a wheelchair user around a table talking, one is holding a sign with accessibility icons on it and one is on a laptop. Above the graphic is the title 'Peer Research Project - Disability Awareness and Accessibility in Surrey'.]

08/06/2026

A lovely memory from 2018 when Ruby (my first Assistance Dog) and I were on the front page of the Surrey Comet newspaper for our ‘ride the year’ challenge, raising money for Dog A.I.D (Assistance in Disability) and Guide Dogs. 🐾

We completed 2018 miles together (throughout the year) with me riding my adaptive bike and Ruby running alongside. Ruby always set the pace and absolutely loved coming out for a good run. She was FAST and sometimes I struggled to keep up with her. 😂

07/06/2026

Four big wins from this morning’s service at St Nicolas Church Cranleigh with Luna:

1. She actually remained settled during the hymns! She often stands up when I sing thinking I’m talking to her so this was a big win for us!
2. Today was the first reading of our banns of marriage, no one objected!
3. Luna offered Light Pressure Therapy (LPT) when I was feeling anxious.
4. Luna successfully detected and alerted me to an oncoming fainting episode which allowed me to lie down safely and discreetly at the back of the Church until it passed. I don’t think anyone even noticed which is wonderful as no fuss is required, I just need to lie quietly for a few minutes and recover.

05/06/2026

Luna and I absolutely love our new Y-Front Assistance Dog Training Jacket from IT HAS POCKETS! ❤️

I have seen a huge difference in her comfort and confidence when wearing it vs her traditional straight front jacket. I am so grateful to Wuffable for helping me with this, it’s absolutely fantastic and I hope it will help other teams too!

The background story:
I noticed that Luna could sometimes be a bit uncomfortable wearing her training jacket. She was quite happy to put it on and walk but could then be hesitant to sit or lie down to relax whilst wearing it despite lots of training to increase her confidence with different gear.

I contacted the wonderful people at Wuffable to see if they could help and they designed this gorgeous Y-Front jacket to give greater shoulder clearance and allow for more natural and unrestricted movement.

Luna seems so much happier wearing it. She walked with confidence, sat and lay down without hesitation, and even had a little snooze. It’s really important to me that she is comfortable in her gear so I am over the moon with this result and would highly recommend this shape jacket to others.

If you want to order one for your Assistance Dog, just ask for the new y front shape and don’t forget you can get 10% off with our ambassador code SUPER10.

*Please note this is a jacket NOT a harness so you can’t attach a lead to it.

05/06/2026

Rowley was a very good boy during my first golf lesson yesterday. I have joined my local ladies beginner group as I am very much in need of some coaching! My (almost) mother in law has been attending for a few weeks and invited me to join her which was lovely. It was pouring with rain so we practiced some different skills at the driving range instead of going out on the course. 🏌️‍♀️⛳️

03/06/2026

“I don’t have that much dog gear!” 🐾🎵
This video is slightly cringe and a little bit embarrassing but I had lots of fun writing, singing and recording this so please do show it some love in the comments!❤️😂

Thank you to Wuffable for making such beautiful gear and going above and beyond to bring each design to life. I hope you enjoy this song I wrote in honour of your wonderful gear!

My Wuffable Things

Jackets with pockets, and document holders.
Bright dog settle mats and embroidered backpacks.
Chest slips and lead wraps and many key rings.
These are a few of my Wuffable things!

A sign for my wheelchair to warn those around me.
A bag for my info in an emergency.
Some Info to explain you must let me in.
These are a few of my Wuffable things!

Dogs in white jackets for their wedding duties.
Pull straps and handles, and reflective patches.
Wheelchair attachments and a bag I can bring.
These are a few of my Wuffable things.

When I lose sight.
When the pain stings.
When I’m feeling sad.
I simply remember my Wuffable things,
and then I don’t feel so bad!

Don’t forget you can get 10% off all Wuffable orders over £20 with our ambassador code SUPER10.