Collie Cross Gypsy is an Ace Carer

Collie Cross Gypsy is an Ace Carer

	Wonder Dog: Gypsy is a dab paw at domestic chores. Photo © David Whitaker-Smith

Clever canine ‘almost human’ in helping north woman.

By Susy Macaulay

A remarkable pet dog has taken the place of a human carer for a north woman with serious mobility problems.

Judy Westwater, 63, of Dalneigh, Inverness, suffers from fibromyalgia syndrome, and osteoarthritis.

When the conditions are acute, her range of movements are seriously impaired.

Enter Gypsy, Mrs Westwater’s six-year-old cross collie/spaniel bitch.

Mrs Westwater said: “When social Services asked me if I wanted a human carer, I said absolutely not. Gypsy does everything a human carer would do. At night, she takes my socks off and she’ll untuck the sheets on the bed and pull the duvet back so I can get in. Then she pulls it back over me and settles down beside me. I have to move around at regular intervals, so she will wriggle and push me to make sure that I move.

In the morning, she’ll pull the duvet back so that I can get up. She will fetch a towel for me if I need it when I m in the shower. She knows the difference between a tea towel, a hand towel and a face cloth.”

But there is even more in the clever canine’s repertoire. Mrs Westwater said: “She helps put the washing in the machine and when it’s done she’ll put her paw in, yank it out and put it in the basket.

“She switches the lights on and off with her paws, and also seems to have an in-built alarm clock which tells her when it’s time for me to take my pills.

“She’ll pick up the phone and bring it to me. There is a squeaky toy next to the phone which she will squeak to let a caller know if I’m in trouble.

Gypsy’s constant support enables Mrs Westwater to carry on with her all-consuming work for street children in South Africa and Mexico through her charity, Pegasus Children’s Trust.

Extract from: The Press and Journal, page 21 – Saturday, 22 December 2007.