Endal and Allen, were they made for each other!, their story tells us they were born to be the companions. One of the famous world renowned friendship a Dog has ever made to his Master can be exemplified with the life of Allen Parton and Endal the Labrador.
Some postings on Allen and Endal starts here with this one. After reading the mail Allen send to pixelshots, can't help to say something about him and his beloved dog Endal to the readers. Posting with some of the photos Allen send in the mail.
Endal Allen and Sandra, The remarriage Photo. Allen onto a new life with his beloved Wife and great friend Endal. He has defeated the illfate the war has presented him, and now a new Dad and responsible husband which might not be possible if he hadn't met the miracle, Endal.
Allen Parton, A Victim of Gulf War,!
The future was looking even more bleak for 42 year old Allen Parton. In I99I, Allen, then a weapons electronics officer in the Royal Navy, had waved goodbye 1 to his wife Sandra and their two children Liam and Zoe, age six and five, to fight in the Gulf War. As they set off, Allen and his men had been told that I5 per cent of them wouldn't come back. But like many brave servicemen, he was certain this wouldn't apply to him. After all, he'd already served in the Falklands and Northern Ireland and come out unscathed. Why should his luck run out this time ?
But it did. Within a month of arriving, Allen’s military car was smashed up in a serious accident, which shattered both his body and mind for ever. His first memory was waking up in a British hospital six weeks later and thinking, ' Where am I ?'. His right-hand side had lost all feeling and he had lost 50 per cent of his memory. The effects were catastrophic. Allen couldn't recognise family or friends, let alone remember the names for items like 'bed'. He only knew Sandra was his wife because the nurses would say 'Your wife is here'. Even more terrifying, he couldn't recall getting married or having the children. In a flash - literally - Allen had gone from a healthy father of two to an angry, wheelchair bound invalid who couldn't talk properly and whose words spilled out of his mouth in a haphazard, disorderly fashion without making sense.
The fear and shock made me furious,' admits Allen. 'I refused to accept I was disabled and I'm ashamed to say that I was horrible and rude to everyone.' He was also plunged into a deep, fathomless depression from which there seemed no escape. Twice, he tried to commit suicide. It was, he told himself, the only way out.
Allen spent the next five years in hospital and rehabilitation. When he finally came home, Sandra, who had had to give up her job as a nurse to look after her husband, was at her wits’ end. Then she saw an article about the CPI in a local newspaper. Desperate to do something for herself, as well as looking after Allen, she became a puppy walker to Ferdy, a yellow Labrador. The distraction and light-relief provided by a lively puppy in the house, helped the whole family - even though Allen still found it difficult to talk and communicate.
Endal Birth and Puppy hood, Discovered and Getting trained by the CPI.
Heads up!, Just got an Award. The Famous and most rewarded animal- Endal, the Labrador. It can't be a mistake to say Endal as God send to bring Allen back to ordinary life.
Years earlier, however, when Endal was born, no one thought that this lonely little puppy was particularly special. If anything, he was something of a misfit since his parents, who were owned by a Southampton breeder, were father and daughter. Not realising that the bitch was still in season, they put her in with her father only to discover soon afterwards, that she was pregnant. Such pregnancies can fail to develop or result in sickly or ill-formed pups. Amazingly, Endal, the only puppy in the litter, seemed perfectly normal. Even so, his owners, Barry and Sue Edwards did not know what to do with him. Unable to register him because of his parentage, they considered keeping him as a pet until a month later when Canine Partners for Independence, visited to inspect another litter.
I happened to walk into the room and saw this very pretty puppy sitting all on his own,’ recalls Nina Bondarenko, programme director for CPI. ‘ I said, ‘Hello little yellow chap, what’s the matter with you?’. Then I asked if I could put him through the aptitude tests that we set dogs, to see if they would be suitable assistants for people who need help.’
These tests are a series of simple exercises to measure each dog's interest in people, co-operation, and flexibility. Nina started by placing Endal on his back to see if he licked rather than struggled. He did the former, which was a sign that he was adaptable and calm.. Nina also put Endal in another room, which he didn’t know so well, while she hid. The puppy sat and thought for a while and then started to search for her. This was exactly what Nina had been hoping he would do because it suggested he had initiative and wanted to be with people.. Nina also gave him a spoon and then called him to her. Instead of hanging on to the spoon, he handed it over – another good sign. On the other hand, he wasn’t very enthusiastic. He did some of these things rather half-heartedly as if he was saying ‘ Well I’ll do it if you want but it is a bit of a bore.’ Nina could also tell that he was sensitive and not the bravest dog in the universe; when she held him in the air, his body went rigid and he tucked his tail under. Nina’s instinct (which she has learned to rely on during her 30 years experience) told her that even if Endal wasn’t as keen as she hoped, he would be right one day for someone.
So the CPI bought him from the breeder Barry Edwards and found Judith Turner, a 52-year-old dog-owner to act as his puppy parent or ‘foster mother’. Judith had recently lost her 12-year-old black Labrador Fennel to cancer; when the CPI rang her up, she felt ready to take on a new challenge. What she quickly realised, was that Endal whom the CPI had named after a local vet, was a one-woman dog. Although he remained aloof during training sessions at the centre, he absolutely adored Judith and would lick her all over every time he saw her - even if she'd only walked out of the room for a few seconds! Judith lost count of the number of earrings she lost as a result of Endal's enthusiastic licks, which sent them flying across the room! ‘He kept me on the straight and narrow after Fennel's death and would do absolutely anything for me . However, there was one big problem. Endal hated us leaving him alone at night and would get upset when we left him in his basket downstairs. Then, by chance, we thought of leaving a nightlight on. From that night on, he slept like a baby - he’d simply been scared of the dark! We also bought him a huge pink teddy bear to cuddle up to.’
Endal quickly became adept at jobs such as finding keys and taking off Judith’s jacket. But his sensitive and loving personality also shone through when he was off-duty. ‘ He would play with the swallows in the field outside,’ recalls Judith. ‘ I’ve never seen anything like it. They would swoop down low and he would lift up his head to them just like a Disney cartoon. When I took him to a local village concert, he tried to out-sing the chief tenor by howling above him! He also adored the smell of port. At Christmas, we came downstairs to find he had opened a bottle of port with his teeth but left it standing upright on the carpet, without having spilt one drop. He had just wanted to sniff it one more time!’
Yet as Endal continued to do his training at the centre with his former half-hearted attitude, Nina couldn’t help thinking there was something missing. Somehow, despite his obvious intelligence, the dog lacked dynamism and didn't seem to sparkle. It was as though he was waiting for something or someone to happen in life in order to release his full potential. Endal was also the kind of puppy who was choosy about who he bonded with. When, as part of his training, he did a three week swap with another family to help him adapt to different environments, Endal took a while to adjust. Although he did what he was told, he also closed down and withdrew into himself. Nina began to realise that she needed to find him a full-time partner whom he could really relate to, just as he had bonded with Judith. If she couldn’t find the right person, Endal would never find his full potential and for an intelligent dog, that seemed a great waste.
There was also another added complication. Endal was showing signs of going lame. ‘ Puppies often do this, on and off, as part of their growing process while their bones knit together,’ explained Nina. ‘ It’s known as panosteitis, like growing pains in children. But it was happening too often to Endal so we had him x-rayed. The results showed that he might have osteochondritis dessicans (OCD), a fault in the elbow joint. Some dogs get better on their own accord but others get worse and have to be operated on which would mean they wouldn’t be able to work. We weren't sure with Endal. He seemed too good a dog to waste but at the same time, his future was seriously in doubt. So we decided to rest him and see what happened.'
Hey buddy, i wonder if you can spot out our home there!, Endal and Allen, in the London Eye's glass Cabin. Endal is said to be the first dog ever got a pass to take a ride in London Eye.I happened to walk into the room and saw this very pretty puppy sitting all on his own,’ recalls Nina Bondarenko, programme director for CPI. ‘ I said, ‘Hello little yellow chap, what’s the matter with you?’. Then I asked if I could put him through the aptitude tests that we set dogs, to see if they would be suitable assistants for people who need help.’
These tests are a series of simple exercises to measure each dog's interest in people, co-operation, and flexibility. Nina started by placing Endal on his back to see if he licked rather than struggled. He did the former, which was a sign that he was adaptable and calm.. Nina also put Endal in another room, which he didn’t know so well, while she hid. The puppy sat and thought for a while and then started to search for her. This was exactly what Nina had been hoping he would do because it suggested he had initiative and wanted to be with people.. Nina also gave him a spoon and then called him to her. Instead of hanging on to the spoon, he handed it over – another good sign. On the other hand, he wasn’t very enthusiastic. He did some of these things rather half-heartedly as if he was saying ‘ Well I’ll do it if you want but it is a bit of a bore.’ Nina could also tell that he was sensitive and not the bravest dog in the universe; when she held him in the air, his body went rigid and he tucked his tail under. Nina’s instinct (which she has learned to rely on during her 30 years experience) told her that even if Endal wasn’t as keen as she hoped, he would be right one day for someone.
So the CPI bought him from the breeder Barry Edwards and found Judith Turner, a 52-year-old dog-owner to act as his puppy parent or ‘foster mother’. Judith had recently lost her 12-year-old black Labrador Fennel to cancer; when the CPI rang her up, she felt ready to take on a new challenge. What she quickly realised, was that Endal whom the CPI had named after a local vet, was a one-woman dog. Although he remained aloof during training sessions at the centre, he absolutely adored Judith and would lick her all over every time he saw her - even if she'd only walked out of the room for a few seconds! Judith lost count of the number of earrings she lost as a result of Endal's enthusiastic licks, which sent them flying across the room! ‘He kept me on the straight and narrow after Fennel's death and would do absolutely anything for me . However, there was one big problem. Endal hated us leaving him alone at night and would get upset when we left him in his basket downstairs. Then, by chance, we thought of leaving a nightlight on. From that night on, he slept like a baby - he’d simply been scared of the dark! We also bought him a huge pink teddy bear to cuddle up to.’
Endal quickly became adept at jobs such as finding keys and taking off Judith’s jacket. But his sensitive and loving personality also shone through when he was off-duty. ‘ He would play with the swallows in the field outside,’ recalls Judith. ‘ I’ve never seen anything like it. They would swoop down low and he would lift up his head to them just like a Disney cartoon. When I took him to a local village concert, he tried to out-sing the chief tenor by howling above him! He also adored the smell of port. At Christmas, we came downstairs to find he had opened a bottle of port with his teeth but left it standing upright on the carpet, without having spilt one drop. He had just wanted to sniff it one more time!’
Yet as Endal continued to do his training at the centre with his former half-hearted attitude, Nina couldn’t help thinking there was something missing. Somehow, despite his obvious intelligence, the dog lacked dynamism and didn't seem to sparkle. It was as though he was waiting for something or someone to happen in life in order to release his full potential. Endal was also the kind of puppy who was choosy about who he bonded with. When, as part of his training, he did a three week swap with another family to help him adapt to different environments, Endal took a while to adjust. Although he did what he was told, he also closed down and withdrew into himself. Nina began to realise that she needed to find him a full-time partner whom he could really relate to, just as he had bonded with Judith. If she couldn’t find the right person, Endal would never find his full potential and for an intelligent dog, that seemed a great waste.
There was also another added complication. Endal was showing signs of going lame. ‘ Puppies often do this, on and off, as part of their growing process while their bones knit together,’ explained Nina. ‘ It’s known as panosteitis, like growing pains in children. But it was happening too often to Endal so we had him x-rayed. The results showed that he might have osteochondritis dessicans (OCD), a fault in the elbow joint. Some dogs get better on their own accord but others get worse and have to be operated on which would mean they wouldn’t be able to work. We weren't sure with Endal. He seemed too good a dog to waste but at the same time, his future was seriously in doubt. So we decided to rest him and see what happened.'
The story is told here in the words of Allen and Sandra as said to me in the mail. It's to be continued with more photos and amazing incidents just in a matter of time.
Hey Allen, hz EJ, hope he reminds you of Endal !
Cu back soon,
Pixelshots, the Photo Blog
Endal: How One Extraordinary Dog Brought a Family Back from the Brink
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