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Orca is a male golden retriever trained by the UK charity Canine Partners as an assistance dog. He was born on 13 November 2001, and was partnered with his disabled handler, Cheryl Alexander, on 28 March 2003. Cheryl is a wheelchair user. Orca can respond to over 150 commands. He can load and unload a washing machine, operate a cash machine, operate a 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.
On 19 May 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 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".
In his spare time, Orca enjoys long walks, rolling in unpleasant things, digging in the sand, and relaxing on the sofa.
References
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