Orca (dog)

Orca was born on 13 November 2001, and was partnered with his disabled handler, Cheryl Alexander (née Smith) on 28 March 2003. He was a large dog, weighing approximately 36 kg. Cheryl is a wheelchair user who suffers from the disabling condition reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome, a neurological condition that effectively prevents her from walking unaided. Orca, trained to think for himself, could respond to over 150 commands, including loading and unloading a washing machine, operating an ATM and VCR, opening doors and cupboards, bringing things from the fridge, untying shoelaces, removing gloves, socks, hats, scarves, shoes and jackets, among others. He could also select items from shelves in the supermarket, place them in a basket, and then put the items onto the conveyor. He could take an envelope of money into a shop lacking wheelchair access and return with a newspaper. Orca could recognise around 30 objects by name, such as book, blanket, glove, phone, mobile, post and pole. Orca knew his left from his right, and knew the difference between his left and the handler's left. He could press buttons for lifts, light switches and pedestrian crossings. Cheryl gives as an example an anecdote, that: : "she dropped a £10 note on the floor in the bank. A man tried to pick it up for her, but Orca put a paw on it and refused to move until the man had backed off. Then he picked it up and passed it [to her] himself." Orca retired on 12 November 2013, the day before his twelfth birthday. He died on 5 November 2014, 8 days before his thirteenth birthday. ==Incident of May 2003==

On 18 May 2003, after they had been partnered for two months and Orca was 17 months old and only just out of training, Cheryl's powered wheelchair struck an obstruction on a country footpath near Heslington, pitching her some 12 – 20 feet (3 – 5 metres) down an embankment into a drainage ditch. and Cheryl became trapped in the water with the full weight of the 300 lb wheelchair pinning her across her legs. By chance, it had landed in a manner that did not crush her, Orca sought to descend to help her, but after 5 minutes was finally persuaded to leave and seek help. The person he found was a passing jogger, one of Cheryl's neighbours, until then unknown to her. Cheryl was already suffering hypothermia and drifting in and out of consciousness, when they finally arrived. Cheryl was rescued and treated in hospital for hypothermia. The rescue services considered that Orca's "remarkable skills and unstinting devotion" had without question saved her life. The ditch was remote, the weather very bad – both cold and raining – and the path not commonly walked. ==Awards and recognition==

In July 2004 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. ==See also==