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| '''Orca''' is a male ] trained by the UK charity ] as an ]. ] he is one of 12 dogs to be awarded the ],<ref name="PDSA">http://www.pdsa.org.uk/page308.html</ref> the highest award for outstanding bravery and dedication by an ], for remarkable dedication, tenacity and initiative in saving his owners' life in 2003, when he was still a young dog of 18 months age. | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| As a result of this and other achievements, Orca was also the first dog in the region to be officially recognised in ] as a "]" by the ] council, entitling him to an allowance for equipment and food.<ref name="northern_echo">http://archive.thenorthernecho.co.uk/2004/7/17/45431.html</ref> | |||
| On ] 2003, after they had been partnered for two months and Orca was less than 18 months old, Cheryl's wheelchair struck a rock on a footpath, and rolled into a ditch. Cheryl was pinned in the water under a wheelchair that weighed almost 300 lb. After crying for some minutes because he could not reach Cheryl, Orca ran off to find help. He found a man about 3/4 of a mile away. The man mistook him for a stray, and took him by the collar to lead him home. Orca is trained to walk with someone who takes his collar. However, when the man tried to lead him in the wrong direction, he ran back to Cheryl and the man could not give chase. He returned to Cheryl, and left again to find help. By this time it was raining hard and the water in the ditch was rising. Cheryl was getting very cold. Orca found a man one and a half miles away, and convinced him to follow. The man called the fire brigade, and Cheryl was rescued and treated in hospital for hypothermia. | |||
| == Orca == | |||
| ⚫ | Orca has been honoured for his bravery and ingenuity several times; In 2003 he won the Pro Dogs Silver Medal for life saving and the first ever Wag and Bone Show Woman's Best Friend award{{Fact|date=March 2007}}. In |
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| Orca was born on ] 2001, and was partnered with his disabled handler, Cheryl Alexander on ] 2003. Cheryl is a wheelchair user who suffers from the disabling condition ] syndrome, a neurological condition that effectively prevents her from walking. | |||
| ⚫ | In his spare time, Orca enjoys long walks, rolling in unpleasant things, digging in the sand, and relaxing on the sofa. | ||
| ⚫ | Orca can respond to over 150 commands, including loading and unloading a ], operating an ] and ], open doors and cupboards, bring things from the fridge, untie shoelaces, remove gloves, socks, hats, scarves, shoes and jackets. He can select items from shelves in the supermarket, place them in a basket, and then put the items onto the conveyer. He takes an envelope of money into a shop which does not have wheelchair access and returns with a newspaper. Orca can recognise around 20 objects by name, such as book, blanket, glove, phone, mobile, post and pole. Orca knows his left from his right and knows the difference between his left and the handler's left. He can press buttons for lifts, light switches and pedestrian crossings. | ||
| ==Incident of May 2003== | |||
| On ] ],<ref name="PDSA_cite">http://www.pdsa.org.uk/goldmedal_5.html</ref> after they had been partnered for two months and Orca was 18 months old and only just out of training, Cheryl's powered wheelchair struck an obstruction on a country footpath near ],<ref name="bbc1">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/north_yorkshire/3046413.stm</ref> pitching her some 12 - 20 feet (3 - 5 metres)<ref>The exact distance varies by report from 3 to metres, but all reports concur the embankment was a significant size of around 15 feet, and steep enough that she "tumbled" down it with her chair.</ref> down an embankment into a drainage ditch.<ref name="PDSA" /> The lower part of the ditch was water-filled to between a foot and waist level,<ref>There is ambiguity in the depth; one newspaper the water was a foot deep, one reporting Cheryl as it was waist level when she fell into it.</ref> and Cheryl became trapped in the water with the full weight of the 300 lb wheelchair pinning her across her legs. By chance, it had landed in a manner that did not crush her,<ref name="martinfrost">http://www.martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/july2006/thinking_dog.html -- report by Orca's handler Cheryl.</ref> however it held her trapped in the water, with her head facing downwards<ref name="PDSA_cite" /> and her legs pressed into the thick mud at the bottom.<ref name="telegraph">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/05/20/ntrap20.xml</ref> | |||
| Orca - described by Cheryl as "crying" <ref name="sunday_sun">http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/sundaysun/news/tm_objectid=17351460&method=full&siteid=50081&headline=orca-the-wonder-dog-name_page.html</ref> - sought to descend to help her, but after 5 minutes was finally persuaded to leave and seek help.<ref name="martinfrost" /><ref name="sunday_sun" /> It began to rain very heavily, a risk given that Cheryl was in a drainage ditch.<ref name="telegraph" /><ref name="sunday_sun" /> A long time later he returned to Cheryl, but he was still alone.<ref name="martinfrost" /> | |||
| It later transpired that he had found a passer-by, but the person approached had not realised Orca was an assistance dog seeking help in an emergency, and had tried to lead the dog home by his collar, to report him as a stray.<ref name="telegraph" /> Assistance dogs are trained to follow humans, and Orca had evidently reached the exceptional understanding that this person was not going to follow him or provide help, and that this was accordingly an occasion to break the rule. Orca had had to pull out of his collar and avoid being led, to do this<ref name="martinfrost" /><ref name="PDSA_cite" /><ref name="sunday_sun" /> - an act which goes against all normal assistance dog training. | |||
| Having checked on Cheryl, Orca left her to search for help a second time. | |||
| By this time it was "pouring with rain" and the weather had deteriorated to the point of ],<ref name="telegraph" /> placing her at risk of ] or ] (death from exposure and cold). It took Orca around two more hours, and much perseverance, to find help, and considerable initiative to persuade the man to follow him<ref name="bbc1" /><ref name="PDSA_cite" /> for the entire mile-long walk<ref name="sunday_sun" /> back to the ditch.<ref>Some reports state that he was "jogging in a nearby field", but most reports suggest that he was found by Orca a significant distance of a mile or more away .</ref> The person he found was reported by some papers to be a passing jogger, and by others, Cheryl's neighbour who had been out jogging. Cheryl was already suffering ] and drifting in and out of consciousness, when they finally arrived.<ref name="martinfrost" /> | |||
| Cheryl was rescued and treated in hospital for hypothermia. The rescue services considered that Orca's "remarkable skills and unstinting devotion" had without question saved her life.<ref name="PDSA_cite" /> The ditch was remote, the weather very bad - both cold and raining - and the path not commonly walked.<ref name="telegraph" /> | |||
| : | |||
| ==Awards and recognition== | |||
| ⚫ | Orca has been honoured for his bravery and ingenuity several times; In 2003 he won the Pro Dogs Silver Medal for life saving and the first ever Wag and Bone Show "Woman's Best Friend" award{{Fact|date=March 2007}}. In July 2004 Orca became one of the first assistance dogs in the country to be paid an allowance as if he were a human assistant.<ref name="northern_echo" /> In 2006 he was awarded the ], the highest award for a non-military dog and the animal equivalent of the ]. Orca has been on television many times, including '']'', '']'' and '']''. He has been in many magazines and newspapers{{Fact|date=March 2007}} and currently appears in a book ''Hearts, Minds and Paws'' by ] in the chapter on "Canine Superheroes". | ||
| ==Other personality attributes== | |||
| ⚫ | In his spare time, Orca enjoys long walks, rolling in unpleasant things, digging in the sand, and relaxing on the sofa.{[fact|October 2007}} | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| <references /> | |||
| {{Unreferenced|date=March 2007}} | |||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| * | |||
| * | * | ||
| * | * | ||
Revision as of 21:20, 17 October 2007
Orca is a male golden retriever trained by the UK charity Canine Partners as an assistance dog. As of 2007 he is one of 12 dogs to be awarded the PDSA Gold Medal, the highest award for outstanding bravery and dedication by an assistance dog, for remarkable dedication, tenacity and initiative in saving his owners' life in 2003, when he was still a young dog of 18 months age.
As a result of this and other achievements, Orca was also the first dog in the region to be officially recognised in 2004 as a "carer" by the City of York council, entitling him to an allowance for equipment and food.
Orca
Orca was born on 13 November 2001, and was partnered with his disabled handler, Cheryl Alexander on 28 March 2003. Cheryl is a wheelchair user who suffers from the disabling condition Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy syndrome, a neurological condition that effectively prevents her from walking.
Orca can respond to over 150 commands, including loading and unloading a washing machine, operating an ATM and VCR, open doors and cupboards, bring things from the fridge, untie shoelaces, remove gloves, socks, hats, scarves, shoes and jackets. He can select items from shelves in the supermarket, place them in a basket, and then put the items onto the conveyer. He takes an envelope of money into a shop which does not have wheelchair access and returns with a newspaper. Orca can recognise around 20 objects by name, such as book, blanket, glove, phone, mobile, post and pole. Orca knows his left from his right and knows the difference between his left and the handler's left. He can press buttons for lifts, light switches and pedestrian crossings.
Incident of May 2003
On 18 May 2003, after they had been partnered for two months and Orca was 18 months old and only just out of training, Cheryl's powered wheelchair struck an obstruction on a country footpath near Heslington, pitching her some 12 - 20 feet (3 - 5 metres) down an embankment into a drainage ditch. The lower part of the ditch was water-filled to between a foot and waist level, and Cheryl became trapped in the water with the full weight of the 300 lb wheelchair pinning her across her legs. By chance, it had landed in a manner that did not crush her, however it held her trapped in the water, with her head facing downwards and her legs pressed into the thick mud at the bottom.
Orca - described by Cheryl as "crying" - sought to descend to help her, but after 5 minutes was finally persuaded to leave and seek help. It began to rain very heavily, a risk given that Cheryl was in a drainage ditch. A long time later he returned to Cheryl, but he was still alone.
It later transpired that he had found a passer-by, but the person approached had not realised Orca was an assistance dog seeking help in an emergency, and had tried to lead the dog home by his collar, to report him as a stray. Assistance dogs are trained to follow humans, and Orca had evidently reached the exceptional understanding that this person was not going to follow him or provide help, and that this was accordingly an occasion to break the rule. Orca had had to pull out of his collar and avoid being led, to do this - an act which goes against all normal assistance dog training.
Having checked on Cheryl, Orca left her to search for help a second time.
By this time it was "pouring with rain" and the weather had deteriorated to the point of hail, placing her at risk of drowning or hypothermia (death from exposure and cold). It took Orca around two more hours, and much perseverance, to find help, and considerable initiative to persuade the man to follow him for the entire mile-long walk back to the ditch. The person he found was reported by some papers to be a passing jogger, and by others, Cheryl's neighbour who had been out jogging. Cheryl was already suffering hypothermia and drifting in and out of consciousness, when they finally arrived.
Cheryl was rescued and treated in hospital for hypothermia. The rescue services considered that Orca's "remarkable skills and unstinting devotion" had without question saved her life. The ditch was remote, the weather very bad - both cold and raining - and the path not commonly walked.
Awards and recognition
Orca has been honoured for his bravery and ingenuity several times; In 2003 he won the Pro Dogs Silver Medal for life saving and the first ever Wag and Bone Show "Woman's Best Friend" award. In July 2004 Orca became one of the first assistance dogs in the country to be paid an allowance as if he were a human assistant. In 2006 he was awarded the PDSA Gold Medal, the highest award for a non-military dog and the animal equivalent of the George Cross. Orca has been on television many times, including Test Your Pet, Dogs with Jobs and Sunday Style. He has been in many magazines and newspapers and currently appears in a book Hearts, Minds and Paws by Nina Bondarenko in the chapter on "Canine Superheroes".
Other personality attributes
In his spare time, Orca enjoys long walks, rolling in unpleasant things, digging in the sand, and relaxing on the sofa.{[fact|October 2007}}
References
- ^ http://www.pdsa.org.uk/page308.html
- ^ http://archive.thenorthernecho.co.uk/2004/7/17/45431.html
- ^ http://www.pdsa.org.uk/goldmedal_5.html
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/north_yorkshire/3046413.stm
- The exact distance varies by report from 3 to 6 metres, but all reports concur the embankment was a significant size of around 15 feet, and steep enough that she "tumbled" down it with her chair.
- There is ambiguity in the depth; one newspaper stating the water was a foot deep, one reporting Cheryl as stating it was waist level when she fell into it.
- ^ http://www.martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/july2006/thinking_dog.html -- report by Orca's handler Cheryl.
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/05/20/ntrap20.xml
- ^ http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/sundaysun/news/tm_objectid=17351460&method=full&siteid=50081&headline=orca-the-wonder-dog-name_page.html
- Some reports state that he was "jogging in a nearby field", but most reports suggest that he was found by Orca a significant distance of a mile or more away .