Orca (dog)
Encyclopedia
Orca is a male golden retriever
trained by the UK charity Canine Partners as an assistance dog
. he is one of 12 dogs to be awarded the PDSA Gold Medal
, the highest award for outstanding bravery and dedication by an assistance dog
, for remarkable dedication, tenacity and initiative in saving his owners' life in 2003, when he was still a young dog of 17 months age.
As a result of this and other achievements, Orca was also the first dog in the county to be officially recognised in 2004 as a "carer" by the City of York council, entitling him to an allowance for equipment and food.
Orca, trained to think for himself, can respond to over 150 commands, including loading and unloading a washing machine
, operating an ATM
and VCR, open doors and cupboards, bring things from the fridge, untie shoelaces, remove gloves, socks, hats, scarves, shoes and jackets. He can select items from shelves in the supermarket, place them in a basket, and then put the items onto the conveyor. He takes an envelope of money into a shop which does not have wheelchair access and returns with a newspaper. Orca can recognise around 20 objects by name, such as book, blanket, glove, phone, mobile, post and pole. Orca knows his left from his right and knows the difference between his left and the handler's left. He can press buttons for lifts, light switches and pedestrian crossings. Cheryl gives as an example an anecdote, that:
Orca is also capable of complex decision making. If Cheryl drops an item that she is unable to reach, Orca will retrieve it without being asked. However, if Orca feels she is able to retrieve the item, he will not interfere. Orca can follow strings of commands, up to a maxiumum of five at a time. For example, if asked to retrieve a book from a table, he can be given the command string; 'Out; up table; get the book; bring it here.'
, pitching her some 12 – 20 feet (3 – 5 metres) down an embankment into a drainage ditch. The lower part of the ditch was water-filled to between a foot and waist level, 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, however it held her trapped in the water, with her head facing downwards and her legs pressed into the thick mud at the bottom.
Orca sought to descend to help her, but after 5 minutes was finally persuaded to leave and seek help. It began to rain very heavily, a risk given that Cheryl was in a drainage ditch. A long time later he returned to Cheryl, but he was still alone.
It later transpired that he had found a passer-by, but the person approached had not realised Orca was an assistance dog seeking help in an emergency, and had tried to lead the dog home by his collar, to report him as a stray. Assistance dogs are trained to follow humans, and Orca had evidently reached the exceptional understanding that this person was not going to follow him or provide help, and that this was accordingly an occasion to break the rule. Orca had had to pull out of his collar and avoid being led, to do this - an act which goes against all normal assistance dog training.
Having checked on Cheryl, Orca left her to search for help a second time.
By this time it was "pouring with rain" and the weather had deteriorated to the point of hail
, placing her at risk of drowning
or hypothermia
(death from exposure and cold). It took Orca around two more hours, and much perseverance, to find help, and considerable initiative to persuade the man to follow him for the entire mile-long walk back to the ditch. 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.
, 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. He has 'released the balls' on the UK National Lottery. He has been in many magazines and newspapers and currently appears in a book Hearts, Minds and Paws by Nina Bondarenko in the chapter on "Canine Superheroes".
Golden Retriever
The Golden Retriever is a medium-sized breed of dog. They were historically developed as gundogs to retrieve shot waterfowl such as ducks and upland game birds during hunting and shooting parties. As such, they were bred to have a soft mouth to retrieve game undamaged and have an instinctive love...
trained by the UK charity Canine Partners as an assistance dog
Assistance dog
An assistance dog is a dog trained to aid or assist a person with a disability. Many are trained by a specific organization, while others are trained by their handler .-Classification:...
. he is one of 12 dogs to be awarded the PDSA Gold Medal
PDSA Gold Medal
The PDSA Gold Medal is an animal bravery award that acknowledges the bravery and devotion to duty of animals. It was created by the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals in 2001, and is now recognised as the animal equivalent of the George Cross...
, the highest award for outstanding bravery and dedication by an assistance dog
Assistance dog
An assistance dog is a dog trained to aid or assist a person with a disability. Many are trained by a specific organization, while others are trained by their handler .-Classification:...
, for remarkable dedication, tenacity and initiative in saving his owners' life in 2003, when he was still a young dog of 17 months age.
As a result of this and other achievements, Orca was also the first dog in the county to be officially recognised in 2004 as a "carer" by the City of York council, entitling him to an allowance for equipment and food.
Orca
Orca was born on 13 November 2001, and was partnered with his disabled handler, Cheryl Alexander (née Smith) on 28 March 2003. He is 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.Orca, trained to think for himself, can respond to over 150 commands, including loading and unloading a washing machine
Washing machine
A washing machine is a machine designed to wash laundry, such as clothing, towels and sheets...
, operating an ATM
Automated teller machine
An automated teller machine or automatic teller machine, also known as a Cashpoint , cash machine or sometimes a hole in the wall in British English, is a computerised telecommunications device that provides the clients of a financial institution with access to financial transactions in a public...
and VCR, open doors and cupboards, bring things from the fridge, untie shoelaces, remove gloves, socks, hats, scarves, shoes and jackets. He can select items from shelves in the supermarket, place them in a basket, and then put the items onto the conveyor. He takes an envelope of money into a shop which does not have wheelchair access and returns with a newspaper. Orca can recognise around 20 objects by name, such as book, blanket, glove, phone, mobile, post and pole. Orca knows his left from his right and knows the difference between his left and the handler's left. He can 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 is also capable of complex decision making. If Cheryl drops an item that she is unable to reach, Orca will retrieve it without being asked. However, if Orca feels she is able to retrieve the item, he will not interfere. Orca can follow strings of commands, up to a maxiumum of five at a time. For example, if asked to retrieve a book from a table, he can be given the command string; 'Out; up table; get the book; bring it here.'
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 HeslingtonHeslington
Heslington is a suburban village and civil parish within the City of York, in North Yorkshire, England, south-east of the centre of York. Prior to 1974, it was a village in the Derwent Rural District, which was part of the East Riding of Yorkshire...
, pitching her some 12 – 20 feet (3 – 5 metres) down an embankment into a drainage ditch. The lower part of the ditch was water-filled to between a foot and waist level, 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, however it held her trapped in the water, with her head facing downwards and her legs pressed into the thick mud at the bottom.
Orca sought to descend to help her, but after 5 minutes was finally persuaded to leave and seek help. It began to rain very heavily, a risk given that Cheryl was in a drainage ditch. A long time later he returned to Cheryl, but he was still alone.
It later transpired that he had found a passer-by, but the person approached had not realised Orca was an assistance dog seeking help in an emergency, and had tried to lead the dog home by his collar, to report him as a stray. Assistance dogs are trained to follow humans, and Orca had evidently reached the exceptional understanding that this person was not going to follow him or provide help, and that this was accordingly an occasion to break the rule. Orca had had to pull out of his collar and avoid being led, to do this - an act which goes against all normal assistance dog training.
Having checked on Cheryl, Orca left her to search for help a second time.
By this time it was "pouring with rain" and the weather had deteriorated to the point of hail
Hail
Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is referred to as a hail stone. Hail stones on Earth consist mostly of water ice and measure between and in diameter, with the larger stones coming from severe thunderstorms...
, placing her at risk of drowning
Drowning
Drowning is death from asphyxia due to suffocation caused by water entering the lungs and preventing the absorption of oxygen leading to cerebral hypoxia....
or hypothermia
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
(death from exposure and cold). It took Orca around two more hours, and much perseverance, to find help, and considerable initiative to persuade the man to follow him for the entire mile-long walk back to the ditch. The person he found was a passing jogger, one of Cheryl's neighbours, until then unknown to her. Cheryl was already suffering hypothermia
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
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
Orca has been honoured for his bravery and ingenuity several times; In 2003 he won the Pro Dogs Silver Medal for life saving and the first ever Wag and Bone Show "Woman's Best Friend" award. 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 MedalPDSA Gold Medal
The PDSA Gold Medal is an animal bravery award that acknowledges the bravery and devotion to duty of animals. It was created by the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals in 2001, and is now recognised as the animal equivalent of the George Cross...
, the highest award for a non-military dog and the animal equivalent of the George Cross
George Cross
The George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
. Orca has been on television many times, including Test Your Pet, Dogs with Jobs and Sunday Style. He has 'released the balls' on the UK National Lottery. He has been in many magazines and newspapers and currently appears in a book Hearts, Minds and Paws by Nina Bondarenko in the chapter on "Canine Superheroes".