Telford pair in running for blogging award
A teenager is up for a national blogging award for her work raising awareness of disabilities and assistance dogs.
Abby Cappleman has made it onto the five person shortlist for the Best Pet Blogger category in the inaugural Animal Star Awards.
Abby, 18, has an extremely rare tissue disorder which means her joints are hypermobile and prone to dislocating.
She is autistic in addition to the Ehlers-Damlos syndrome and suffers attacks and fits in some social situations.
She is helped by her assistance dog Chloe, who was trained to help Abby deal with the implications of the disorder and her autism.
Chloe the white shih tzu opens doors and cupboards, keeps Abby calm in the event of a fainting fit and alerts people nearby.
The Telford College student documents her experiences with Chloe and her disabilities on the Facebook page Chloe the Assistance Dog, which is now in the running for a prize.
The blog has hundreds of followers, including around the country and overseas.
On being nominated in the Animal Star Awards Abby said: "I was very surprised to hear about it because it's just little old me, saying what I've got to say.
"To be recognised in a big way like this, it was very exciting and it makes me want to keep doing it.
"I just document what my life is like day to day with Chloe."
Abby said her Ehlers-Damlos syndrome was so rare most doctors hadn't heard of it and she was initially misdiagnosed.
She said: "It is very much a hidden disability. It can have an effect on pretty much anywhere there is soft tissue, like the digestive system for example."
Her family has had two-year-old Chloe since she was seven weeks old.
It took her more than a year of training to be an assistance dog, but Abby said that there is still a stigma attached to unconventional helper dogs.
She said: "A lot of people take one look at her and think she can't be any use to anyone because of the breed and the size she is.
"But she is brilliant for me and a big help."
The Animal Star Awards were launched by Mary Burgess to recognise special animals and the people that live with them.
Abby and Chloe will learn whether or not they win in their category at the awards night, held on November 3 in Guildford.
