Leah Marshall was just 13 when she became unwell from arthritis and got her support dog. While most teenagers were enjoying fun activities like shopping and cinema trips, Leah was often sleeping.
Not only was she battling the painful condition, which causes stiffness in joints, she also had chronic fatigue. Now aged 37 and on five different types of medication, her illness has impacted her everyday life.
That’s where her support dog, Alfred, comes in.
Leah and her loveable Australian Labradoodle have just graduated as a Support Dogs partnership.The four-year-old support dog has been trained by the national charity to pick up items Leah drops, load and unload the washing machine, fill a basket with clothes, pass clothes for Leah to put on the washing line and to help her to get undressed.
He can also find Leah’s mobile phone and keys, fetch help, empty shopping bags, take groceries from supermarket shelves, fill up shopping baskets and pass items to Leah at waist level.
“I’m always in pain, so for Alfred to be able to pick things up for me, it’s an instant relief,” said Leah, who lives in Christchurch, near Bournemouth.
“Because of the arthritis, I struggle with exercise. I do exercise but the exercise I’ve done over the last 20 years has been limited, so I’ve not got my core strength like I used to, and I struggle with my back.
“My arthritis can be different from one day to the next – one day Alfred can help me take my socks off, if my back is really bad, or if my hands or ankles are really sore.
“Just being able to pick stuff up off the floor for me, where I would normally struggle, and having Alfred trained is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
And Alfred has helped to take some of the strain from Leah’s husband, Rob, helping her to take her socks, jacket or shoes off, picking things up and helping with the laundry.
As a youngster, it was difficult for Leah to understand what was wrong, as medics initially assumed it was just growing pains.
As she left school for college, she couldn’t get out of bed due to the pain, but with sheer determination, she got to class.
Leah was eventually diagnosed at 17 and she was prescribed medication, but the pain wouldn’t shift.
“I couldn’t even stand on my own two feet without being in horrific pain,” said Leah.
“I didn’t have the typical teenage years of spending time with friends and socialising, that was harder than anything else. I spent most of those years at home sleeping because of the level of pain.”Aged 19, she started her job at Dulux Decorator Centre, where she still works as a cluster manager.
But she needed to sleep in her lunch breaks as she was so exhausted, and she struggled to walk and stand for long periods of time. But as her condition prevailed and it impacted her mental health, she looked up Support Dogs.
Leah assumed the charity only helped wheelchair users, and later got Alfred as a pet dog. When she discovered Support Dogs’ help extended beyond wheelchair users, she applied for training. Fast forward two years and the pair are thriving together.
Support Dogs trains and provides assistance dogs to help people with a range of debilitating conditions, including autism in children, and epilepsy or physical disability in adults.
To find out more about the charity’s incredible work, please visit www.supportdogs.org.uk
or call 0114 2617800.
