He even opens doors, unloads the washing machine and helps her get dressed
A Bristol woman who was unable to go out alone has seen her life transformed by a wonder dog who opens doors, unloads the washing machine and even helps her get dressed. A rare condition means Elie-Mai Riddick needs to use a walking stick or wheelchair.
The 24-year-old has Scheuermann's Kyphosis, which is an excessive curvature of the spine. She was born with it but wasn’t diagnosed until 2012, despite complaining about back pain from the age of seven.
Although she was active as a youngster, dancing in competitions, playing hockey and netball and taking part in athletics, she was told surgery was inevitable to avoid irreversible paralysis.
She underwent eight-hour thoracic spinal fusion surgery in 2019. But post-op, her balance never improved and she needed a walking stick.
In January this year, after her fourth acute paralysis episode and following hospitalisation, she was also diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) and started using a wheelchair more often.
She got Bleddyn as a pet around four years ago – encouraged by relatives as she fell into a depression due to her condition – and they thought looking after him would encourage her to start looking after herself.
Later, as her condition worsened, a friend suggested she send Bleddyn to be trained by Support Dogs, a charity that trains and provides specialist assistance dogs to help autistic children, as well as adults with epilepsy or physical disability.
She applied at the start of 2023 and two years on, Bleddyn is a fully-qualified support dog. He has been trained to pick items up for her, helps her get dressed and undressed, opens and closes doors, pulls her washing basket around, loads and unloads the washing machine and dryer, fetches her walking stick, keys and phone, has an alert bark and is trained to find help, such as from Elie-Mai’s partner, Max.
Elie-Mai says she probably would have given up her dreams of studying to be a forensic psychologist, had it not been for Bleddyn's assistance.
She said: “Before having him trained, I wouldn’t be able to go out on my own. I was always having to have someone on the end of the phone constantly, or not go out at all.
“But I don’t feel nervous any more about going to university, with my condition getting worse, knowing he will be with me.”
With Bleddyn by her side, she recently boarded a train from her home in Ashton Gate to Chelmsford – something she hadn’t done since before having an operation on her spine in 2019.
“I was very anxious previously and it’s something I wouldn’t have done before – I would have just relied on lifts or driving myself,” said Elie-Mai.
She said she had previously worried about falling, being jostled into by crowds, that there would be nowhere to sit, or missing the train. But now Bleddyn has been trained to give an alert bark and fetch help if she falls.
She added: “I’m trying to get more out of my comfort zone and having Bleddyn trained as a support dog has given me a lot more confidence.
“It means everything to me to have Bleddyn’s help. It’s made me feel so much more confident about going out and doing things independently.”
Elie-Mai, who wants to work with criminals or with neurodivergent young people to prevent them leading a life of crime, added: “I think it’s incredible, the amount of people Support Dogs helps, as well as the amount of confidence it gives people with disabilities and how lovely everyone is.
“I’m so grateful for the charity.”
To find out more about the life-changing work of Support Dogs, visit www.supportdogs.org.uk or call 0114 2617800.
