Harriet Brown, a Trustee of Ataxia UK who has idiopathic cerebellar ataxia tells us about her dog, Henry.
Henry is our 2 ½ year-old cocker spaniel. He came to live with us when he was 7 months old shortly after our 14-year-old chocolate labrador, Alfie, sadly had to be put down. It was a little bit of a culture shock and rollercoaster having a cocker spaniel puppy in the flat after having been used to an old Labrador, but what a total joy…
Fortunately, Henry was largely house-trained when we got him. He is extremely energetic and is taken for walks by my husband Richard and stepfather John at least twice a day. However, there are many hours while Richard and John are at work when Henry and I are alone together. He follows me around like my shadow, but he is the very best company. He always listens intently to everything I say but never answers back.
The perfect scenario! He is very good at getting out of the way when I tell him to but is not very good at picking up his large selection of toys, which luckily, I have always managed to avoid when walking around the flat.
He is extremely affectionate and is both good at giving affection when we ask for it and demanding it when he wants some. One of his favourite pastimes is giving anyone and everything he meets a good lick (from head to toe if they let him!) This has been
particularly problematic when I am doing some Pilates in the lounge. For a start, he thinks every time I get on the floor, it is playtime. And then he will attempt to lick my face, arms, and feet, basically any bare flesh. It requires another level of concentration when you are trying to do a plank and you have a dog licking your face or feet at the same time!
We discovered quite early on that he has an aversion to my wheelchairs, both manual and electric. However, with plenty of exposure and the opportunity to explore them both himself (and plenty of bribery with treats), this is gradually improving. As you can see, when he is tired of walking, he is quite happy to hitch a lift.
All I can say is that Henry is a bundle of adorableness that we wouldn’t be without!
