WOW! Super-Duper Service Dog Does the Trick(s) for Ehlers-Danlos Patient!

WOW! No, "WOW!!!!!!!!!" Byron, a seven-year-old Golden Labrador service dog, no SUPER DOG, really does the trick(s) for Ehlers-Danlos sufferer Kate Cross. 

From making her bed to grocery shopping, and even using the ATM, "Bryon" anticipates what appears to be almost every need for her 49-year-old human companion.

And, for Ms. Cross, whose Ehlers-Danlos affects the entirety of her body, from hypermobile joints to poor circulation, Bryon has most surely be a "lifesaver" to the previously home-bound woman.

According to Ms. Cross, a former school teacher, "Byron knows more than 100 different commands, and can do just about anything I ask him too."

As she makes a morning coffee, Byron will open the fridge door himself, before fetching Kate a carton of milk. And the clever canine even retrieves his own breakfast bowl from the cupboard, before jumping up and placing his empty dish in the washing up when he's done. He accompanies Kate to the supermarket, reaching down to low shelves to pick up any item Kate has on her shopping list. And to the envy of dog owners everywhere, Byron can even open the door to let himself out to the toilet.

Trained by Canine Partners of Sussex UK, this heroic super dog makes the day-to-day activities that can be brutally challenging for those severely impacted by Ehlers-Danlos not only possible, but also fun.

"In the supermarket, I stop my chair near to the item I want, and he follows my eyeline and takes the item off the shelf. It’s such a help to me, as small things like bending down and grasping things are really difficult for me....  Byron even unloads my shopping onto the conveyor belt at the till and hands my purse over to the checkout assistants."

Not content to simply located and load Ms. Cross's groceries, Byron can pay for them, as well!

"He can do such amazing things - he takes my bank card and reaches up to put it into a cash machine, and takes the cash when it comes out, and passes it to me - all I have to do is put in my pin number."

There is no task too big or too small for Bryon.

"He can reach out and press pedestrian crossing buttons with his nose, and picks up anything I drop on the ground. Before we go to bed on cold nights, he even fetches my hot water bottle, and when I’ve filled it, he trots upstairs with it, and puts it on my side of the bed, under the covers.....My condition means my circulation is very weak, so a nice warm bed is just what I need."

Kudos to Canine Partners for providing Kate Cross with a new, more productive way of life. And, a giant bone to "Lord" Byron, who certainly deserves knighthood for his outstanding achievements. Our question is: How can we get more "Byrons" to the thousands who suffer the debilitating effects of Ehlers-Danlos each day?h day from the UK to the USA?