Rossendale: Disabled woman who taught dogs to do housework speaking at festival

She is now set to talk about the benefits of assistance dogs at an upcoming festival, DogFest.

Chloé Fuller lives in Rossendale with her two assistance dogs, Ted and Cinna.

Chloé Fuller with her 'super' assistant spaniels, Cinna and Ted

She suffers from a genetic connective tissue disease called Ehlers Danlos syndrome, Dysautonomia which affects her heart, as well as intestinal dysmotility.

Chloé, 23, was diagnosed with these conditions at various stages through her teenage years, and they impact her physical mobility and health.

She said: “I dislocate really easily and I also have brittle bones.

“Due to my heart condition I pass out easily. If try to move around without a wheelchair I can fall, which would cause me to fall to the floor and injure myself.”

Ted, aged eight, has been Chloé’s assistance dog for several years. She has taught him many tricks that will help with her day-to-day life as a disabled woman.

They include helping Chloé get changed, finding the remote, fetching help in case of an emergency and getting a bottle of water are just some of the things he has been taught to do.

Chloé says the springer spaniel has changed her life.

She said: “Mr Ted is a bit of a legend.

“Ted turned my life upside down but in the best way possible. When I was first diagnosed I didn’t want to live, I couldn’t cope with how my life had changed when I became disabled.

“I lost every aspect of who I was. Ted came along and helped me rebuild my life and also learn that it was okay to grieve the life I lost but also that I also had to come to terms with the life I have now.

“I can do new things and that isn’t necessarily a negative.”

Chloé is now taking part in an event called DogFest, where she will talk about the benefits of having an assistance dog as a disabled person.

She said: “I have spent years explaining the ways my dogs help me but now I am attempting to show people with other disabilities how an assistance dog can help them.”

The event means a lot to Chloé, who attended shortly after her first diagnosis.

She said: “I attended DogFest shortly after I got sick – it was one of the first big events I attended.

“I told my mum that I wanted to be on that stage one day talking about how much Ted has helped me – and then a few years later was approached to take part.”

The youngest support dog, Cinna, is still in training but will be play a big part in the upcoming DogFest shows.

Chloé has taught him tricks and skills which are necessarily useful to her, in order to show members of the audience how dogs can help with different types of disabilities.

Many of these skills will be demonstrated on stage.

Cinna, a one-year-old cocker spaniel, can unload the washing machine, pick up food items from shelves and also fetch items according to sound cues.

“Cinna can fetch a toy when the sound of a baby crying starts to play," Chloé said This would be so helpful to a deaf parent who wouldn’t be able to hear it for themselves.”

They have also taught Cinna to notice mental health triggers, such as panic attacks, and intervene when they happen.

You can see Chloé at DogFest on various dates this year. It is coming to Cheshire on June 18 and 19.

Find your nearest DogFest by visiting its website.

Keep up-to-date with Ted and Cinna via their Facebook page.