A woman with multiple sclerosis has formed an unbreakable bond with a dog trained to help her carry out her household tasks.
Wonder dog Garon has been taught how to unload Rebecca Mayo’s washing machine, open doors and take her shoes off.
The two-year-old labrador-retriever cross has given Mrs Mayo her life back since she was paired up with him six months ago.
Garon now helps the mother-of-two with everything from retrieving tins off supermarket shelves to picking up dropped items such as keys, pens and her phone.
When they go shopping, the dog, wearing a purple coat to identify him as a working canine, even hands over her bank card to the cashier.
“He’s amazing,” said Mrs Mayo, from Lumsden, Aberdeenshire. “Having him has been a real game-changer.
“I’m in a lot less pain because he does all the bending and picking up, and all the things I can’t do.”
The 42-year-old said her Canine Partners assistance dog also brings her the phone when it rings and fetches her walking stick.
Garon, who cost £20,000 to train in his first year, responds to more than 20 commands, and every year he will learn at least another two helpful tricks.
Mrs Mayo, who is mum to Jessica, nine, and Eavha, six, had to learn how to walk and talk again after a rare virus attacked her brain when she was in her early 20s.
She was then diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a debilitating condition which affects balance and movement, five years ago.
Mrs Mayo described her last six months as “life-changing” and added: “He’s given me the confidence to go out on my own again.”
