Colette was partnered with her second canine partner Cayde in May 2019.

My name is Colette and I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). I’d struggled with joint pain for most of my life, which doctors thought was Arthritis. I wasn’t correctly diagnosed with EDS until I was in my 50’s. I used to use a wheelchair when I was going out of the house, but I now need to use it most of the time.

I first came across Canine Partners when a lacemaking group I was part of donated to them. Six months later I decided to apply for a canine partner.

In 2009 I was partnered with a Labradoodle named Jennie. She was energetic, very intelligent and loved the outdoors. I was lucky that there wasn’t a significant gap between losing Jennie and getting my second canine partner Cayde, which made a terrific difference.

I was partnered with Cayde, a black Labrador x Golden Retriever, in 2019 and soon afterwards my husband passed away. Cayde stayed by my side and has been great company ever since. He learns quickly and definitely has a cheeky side!

For years I always had a low level of pain that I couldn’t get rid of and it would take a long time to recover after doing tasks. Two years after having my first canine partner Jennie, I didn’t have this pain anymore. The little tasks that canine partners do, like picking things up for me, all add up and by not having to do them, I’m taking pressure off my joints. This has had the biggest impact on my day-to-day life as I’m not in as much pain, which makes doing other things easier
and much more enjoyable!

Jennie and Cayde have also benefited my mental health and my temperament has improved. A stranger who regularly saw me out and about told me I looked so much more confident and happier since having a canine partner.

Having a canine partner is a great conversation starter. I even find that people who are usually frightened of dogs are comfortable around canine partners due to their calm presence. I didn’t know many people living with disabilities before I had a canine partner and I’m lucky to have become great friends with people that I’ve met through Canine Partners’ community.

To put it simply, having a canine partner has given me my life back