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| == Orca == | == Orca == | ||
| 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. | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | 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. | ||
| ⚫ | == |
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| ⚫ | ==Incident of May 2003== | ||
| On ] 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, pitching her some 12 - 20 feet (3 - 5 metres)<ref>The exact distance varies by report, 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 bottom of the ditch was filled with water, and her head was inches from the water with the full weight of the 300 lb wheelchair pinning her immobile. 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> but instead held her in the water, with her head facing downwards. | |||
| Orca sought to descend to help her, but after 5 minutes was finally persuaded to leave her and seek help.<ref name="martinfrost" /> 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 take care the dog home as a stray.<ref name="telegraph">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/05/20/ntrap20.xml</ref> Assistance dogs are trained to follow humans, and Orca had evidently reached the exceptional understanding that this person was not going to help, and that this was accordingly an occasion to break the rule. He had pulled out of his collar to do so<ref name="martinfrost" /> - 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 Cheryl was in a foot of water with the weight of the chair gradually pressing her into the thick mud at the bottom,<ref name="telegraph" />placing her at risk of ] or ] (death from exposure and cold). It took Orca two hours, and much perseverance, to find Cheryl's neighbour and persuade him to follow the long walk 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> Cheryl was already suffering ] and drifting in and out of consciousness, when help 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" /> The ditch was remote, the weather bad, and the path not commonly walked.<ref name="telegraph" /> | |||
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| == OLD VERSION== | |||
| On ] 2003, after they had been partnered for two months and Orca was less than 18 months old, Cheryl's powered wheelchair struck a rock on a footpath, pitching her 15 feet (5 metres) down an embankment into a "water-filled ditch", with the full weight of the wheelchair pinning her in the water.<ref name="PDSA" /> Orca remained on guard until directed to find help.<ref name="PDSA" /> He found a man about 3/4 of a mile away,{{fact|October 2007}} but 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 broke away and ran back to Cheryl and the man could not give chase.{{fact|October 2007}} He left again to find help.{{fact|October 2007}} By this time it was raining hard and the water in the ditch was rising, placing Cheryl at risk of both ], or ] (death from exposure and cold).{{fact|October 2007}} Orca found Cheryl's neighbour one and a half miles away, and convinced him to follow.<ref name="PDSA" /> The neighbour, following the dog back to the ditch, called the fire brigade, and Cheryl was rescued and treated in hospital for hypothermia. The rescue services considered that Orca's "remarkable skills and unstinting devotion" saved Cheryl's life.<ref name="PDSA" /> | On ] 2003, after they had been partnered for two months and Orca was less than 18 months old, Cheryl's powered wheelchair struck a rock on a footpath, pitching her 15 feet (5 metres) down an embankment into a "water-filled ditch", with the full weight of the wheelchair pinning her in the water.<ref name="PDSA" /> Orca remained on guard until directed to find help.<ref name="PDSA" /> He found a man about 3/4 of a mile away,{{fact|October 2007}} but 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 broke away and ran back to Cheryl and the man could not give chase.{{fact|October 2007}} He left again to find help.{{fact|October 2007}} By this time it was raining hard and the water in the ditch was rising, placing Cheryl at risk of both ], or ] (death from exposure and cold).{{fact|October 2007}} Orca found Cheryl's neighbour one and a half miles away, and convinced him to follow.<ref name="PDSA" /> The neighbour, following the dog back to the ditch, called the fire brigade, and Cheryl was rescued and treated in hospital for hypothermia. The rescue services considered that Orca's "remarkable skills and unstinting devotion" saved Cheryl's life.<ref name="PDSA" /> | ||
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| ==Awards and recognition== | ==Awards and recognition== | ||
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| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
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Revision as of 17:17, 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.
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 19 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, pitching her some 12 - 20 feet (3 - 5 metres) down an embankment into a drainage ditch. The bottom of the ditch was filled with water, and her head was inches from the water with the full weight of the 300 lb wheelchair pinning her immobile. By chance, it had landed in a manner that did not crush her, but instead held her in the water, with her head facing downwards.
Orca sought to descend to help her, but after 5 minutes was finally persuaded to leave her and seek help. 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 take care the dog home 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 help, and that this was accordingly an occasion to break the rule. He had pulled out of his collar to do so - 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 Cheryl was in a foot of water with the weight of the chair gradually pressing her into the thick mud at the bottom,placing her at risk of drowning or hypothermia (death from exposure and cold). It took Orca two hours, and much perseverance, to find Cheryl's neighbour and persuade him to follow the long walk back to the ditch. Cheryl was already suffering hypothermia and drifting in and out of consciousness, when help 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 bad, 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 2005 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.
References
- ^ http://www.pdsa.org.uk/page308.html
- The exact distance varies by report, 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.
- ^ 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
- 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.