Cinders

Cinders - Female Border Collie X who became partnered with Debs in September 1996 in what was to become a firm bond that withstood everything that life threw at them. Debs started to suffer with Meniere's disease 3 years into their relationship and Cinders proved herself to be conscious of when Debs needed help during one of her attacks.

Here's a quote that Debs made about Cinders during the time of her Meniere’s disease...

"I was struck down with Meniere’s disease 1998 and I struggled to cope with my life. It meant changing the ways I was living, changing my diet; doctors kept saying I must think about my health because I was suffering from bouts of depression. Cinders had been a great comfort to me, as I knew she would be there by my side when I had attacks of vertigo spells and helped me to bathroom in time to be sick. She learned to help me as she went along. She noticed I could not see in the dark and had terrible balance, like a drunk."

This goes to show that although Cinders was trained as a hearing dog, she proved her self-worth and became so much more, giving Debs the additional security of knowing that Cinders will be on hand to help her lead the way to safety (or even to the toilet!).

Deb’s confidence in herself has known no bounds and with Cinders at her side, became the person that she is now, an honest, hard-working lady, easy to please and greatly admired and respected. And it’s all thanks to Cinders.

Many happy years were enjoyed by both Cinders and Debs, as they experienced becoming a family where children were involved, learning together the journeys that family life can bring and being rewarded for every help they gave each other and also to James (Deb’s husband).

Here’s a statement that I bullied out of James whilst he was a busy guy, a moment of his time to say, “Cinders was not just a working dog but her closest companion, more so than her hearing husband for the deaf!” You’ve gotta try not to feel sorry for the poor guy!

Cinders retired when she was 11 years old, when deafness started to overtake her and her back leg got weak with arthritis. Handing over the leads to Rosie, who became Deb’s 2nd hearing dog.