It's not often that you see a dog loading a washing machine but it's a common site in the Lowe household, writes Zahra Borno.

Free, a chocolate brown Labrador, is wheelchair bound Jenny Lowe's right hand man and he has been specially-trained to help out around the home. He is the love of Jenny's life and having him around means that she is able to lead an independent life without relying on others to help her out.

Jenny, 47, of Banbury, suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and has been confined to a wheelchair for several years.

Two years ago she was given Free by the Hampshire-based charity Canine Partners for Independence (CPI) which trains dogs to help disabled people. The dogs respond to nearly 100 verbal commands and it is incredible to see them in action. When Jenny, of Springfield Avenue, drops her mobile phone three-year-old Free dashes to her side to pick it up and hand it to her. He passes her items such as books, a remote control or bunch of keys after just one quick command.

And he even puts his bowl in the kitchen sink at the end of his meal.

Outside the home he comes into his own when he goes shopping with Jenny, walking alongside her power wheelchair. He helps her pay at the check-out in superstores by passing the purse to the assistant and picking up the bag of shopping.

Free's actions easily dispel the idea that animals are dumb.

CPI starts training suitable dogs when they are just six weeks old. They are trained to be obedient in public and to enjoy their work. Some work with owners who are severely disabled and they are even able to help them dress or put them in the recovery position should they fall. The dogs are given up to eight months advanced training at the charity's training centre in Havant before being matched up with a suitable disabled owner.

Jenny says: "When I first met Free and attached him to my chair it felt as if he belonged straight away. It's torture when I'm away from him."

The bond between the dog and owner clearly becomes extremely intense very quickly. During the first six months Jenny had Free, nobody else, including her four children, were allowed to touch him in case he developed a close relationship with someone other than Jenny.

Loyalty to somebody else could have interfered with his work but it is clear that Free is completely to devoted to Jenny alone. The pair are a perfect match. Jenny's gaze rarely strays from him as he lies curled up on a blanket under the TV.

"I absolutely love him to bits. I feel so much more confident since I got him. My life has changed completely.

"I am completely independent. I can go out shopping or around town with Free and armed with my mobile and nobody has to worry about me or how I'm getting on. I feel I've got my own life.

"When I used to go out in a wheelchair before I had Free I used to feel invisible. People would look through me and make me feel as if I didn't exist. "But with Free things are so different. I think people definitely under-estimate the intelligence of animals," she says.

Free is clearly more than just a dog to Jenny. He has become her best friend.

"Free is very protective over me and because he is so sensitive he can easily pick up on my moods and how I am feeling. But at the back of my mind I have to remember that he is still a working dog and not a pet. The working life of a CPI dog is usually about eight years," she says.

Jenny and Free have an extremely busy life dashing around the country talking about the charity's work. Last week they went to the international dog show Crufts to help raise awareness about the charity and the vital need for funding.

She says: "When we go out people like me to show what he can do and he sometimes gets a round of applause in shops but he's not a circus dog and at the end of the day he's there to help me. "

For more information about CPI call 01705 450156.

Story date: Wednesday 22 March

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