Ex-PC is helped through Multiple Sclerosis symptoms by loveable 'Rogue'

Her husband, Steve, was in CID and had a head-on collision which nearly killed him.

Debbie left the force to look after her husband, but the stress of what happened to him manifested in Multiple Sclerosis symptoms for Debbie, which she says she had signs of in her twenties.

“My sister patting me would feel like pokers on my legs, and my face dropped,” says the now 64-year-old, who lives near the Shropshire/Welsh border.

Her health deteriorated and following a 2007 diagnosis, Debbie said: “As Steve got stronger, I got worse.”

The couple moved to Wales for a slower-paced rural life, finding a home with plenty of land for their animals – one of which has proved to be a life-changer for Debbie.

Clever Cocker Spaniel Rogue – offspring of Steve’s pet dog Drizzle – showed early signs that she was more than just a pet and could potentially help make life easier for Debbie.

So she signed up to have the pooch trained by the national Support Dogs charity – and the pair recently qualified as a successful disability assistance dog partnership.

Now, as Debbie uses a walking stick or walking chair as she describes her symptoms as “like dragging concrete around with your legs, you can’t lift properly”, adorable Rogue is there to help with a number of tasks.

These range from helping Debbie to get dressed and undressed, opening doors and pushing access buttons to picking up dropped items like Debbie’s walking stick, fetching named items from another room and even emptying the washing machine.

Debbie, who also worked on the family protection, domestic violence and youth offending teams during her 10-year policing career, also taught swimming and trained lifeguards before and after her time in the force.

Having Rogue trained as a support dog has even helped Debbie to rekindle her love of swimming.

“When I’m in the water, I’m relaxed and the pain eases,” she said.

“But when I stand up and go to get changed, it’s there again.

“Rogue comes swimming with me and sits on the poolside.

“I have the walker and drop all my clothes and when I’m in the shower, she will pull the towel off the hook and bring me my clothes.”

Just before lockdown, Debbie was on oxygen for 12 months and spent three weeks in hospital after her lungs closed up and she struggled to breathe.

During Covid, her mum, Lillian, passed away and her son got married in Greece and she was devastated that she couldn’t see either of them.

It was around this time that Drizzle had pups – a pivotal moment for Debbie.

“We always said our dogs should do some kind of work,” said Debbie, who also has 14 dogs, four cats, four geese, sheep and a Muscovy duck on the couple’s smallholding in Llanymynech.

“I said that she could be my helper.”

Debbie applied to Support Dogs in late 2023 and following a number of assessments, medical reports and home visits, Rogue went along to Support Dogs’ training centre in April last year for four weeks of intensive training, followed two weeks later by Debbie to put everything Rogue had learned into practice.

After five months of continuing their training at home, they recently qualified as a successful partnership.

“What Support Dogs have taught her is fantastic,” said Debbie.

“I’m absolutely gobsmacked that she does it – I’m in awe of her. She reads the room and if I drop something, she’s there to pick it up before I even ask her.

“If it wasn’t for Rogue, I probably wouldn’t go out. She’s given me the confidence so I can go out independently from Steve and the family and know she’s going to be there to help me in some way.

“I’m amazed by Support Dogs’ staff – they had her for a month and took her from being my pet that I had done basic training with to doing things where I was like ‘Is this really my pet? I can’t believe it!’ I’m so grateful.”

To find out more about the incredible work of Support Dogs, please visit supportdogs.org.uk or call 0114 2617800.