Assistance Dog Brings “Life-Changing” Impact to Woman with Muscular Dystrophy

Ann Blake describes the arrival of her assistance dog, Snoopy, as unequivocally “life-changing.” Residing in Godshill, within the New Forest, Ann has been managing muscular dystrophy, a genetic condition leading to progressive muscle weakening, for six years. She shared with BBC Radio Solent that Snoopy’s presence helps divert her focus from her wheelchair. She elaborated, stating, “I think it’s because you’re at a different level, but no one actually speaks to you if you’ve not got a dog but now people interact and say ‘what does he do?’” Recalling her 2018 diagnosis, Ann expressed her shock, noting, “Before that I was going to the gym four days a week, very very fit, working full time.” Initially, she attributed her symptoms to cardiac issues. She recounted, “I said to the cardiologist, everything aches rather like when you have flu and he asked for a particular blood test to be done and I came up on that.” She continued, “So I got sent to a rheumatologist and then a neurologist and they said it’s muscular dystrophy,” she explained. In 2020, amidst the Covid pandemic, Ann decided to bring Snoopy into her residence. Subsequently, she sought assistance from Dog AID UK to train him as a fully qualified assistance dog. These dogs offer diverse support, ranging from guiding individuals with visual impairments to retrieving laundry from washing machines. Ann stated, “I thought well I’ll give this a go, so we managed to get Snoopy and we just kept our fingers crossed that we would be accepted and he’s been life-changing he really, really has,” she said. Furthermore, Ann became a member of MD UK, a charitable organization assisting individuals with the condition. She has since compiled a book, titled A Legacy of Love, to aid in fundraising for the charity. The book showcases artwork contributed by artists globally. She mentioned, “The furthest artist away is Australia, then I’ve got Canada, America and lots from the New Forest.” Gilson Lavis, a former bandmate and drummer for Jools Holland, is among the contributing artists. He commented, “She has achieved a remarkable thing with this book.” Mr. Lavis described his invitation to contribute to the book as “a privilege.” He explained that his drawing depicts a dog resembling Snoopy next to a woman in a wheelchair. He elaborated, “I have tried to make it poignant, where the dog is just waiting for any way that they can be of service to the lady in a wheelchair. “I haven’t drawn Ann or her dog but I have paid homage to it so that is my contribution.” To date, Ann has generated £4,000 through the book, with a portion of these funds also allocated to Dog A.I.D UK. Readers can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external sites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.