Liversedge woman with rare genetic condition says assistant dog ‘transformed her life’

Toni-Jane Bromley, 35, from Liversedge, has the Hypermobile type of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome which only affects about one in 5,000 to 20,000 people worldwide.

Ms Bromley had severe fatigue before she got Udo from canine-training charity Dogs for Good because each task around the house took huge amounts of her energy.

She said: “The first time I met Udo I fell in love with him.

"He’s a sweet-nature dog and I thought he’d be a good help for me because he was very attentive, has lots of energy and is very enthusiastic about his task work.

“Udo is also a sensitive soul and while it took him a couple of weeks to settle and feel comfortable in the house, we’ve had so much time together during lockdown that our bond has gone from strength to strength."

Ms Bromley showed signs of the rare genetic condition when she was only two years old, but was not diagnosed until she was 32 years old when a physiotherapist spotted many of her symptoms were those of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.

She said: “My ankles and occasionally my shoulders kept dislocating when I was a child and they didn’t know why.

“When I was school age my knees got dislocated several times and I had other symptoms throughout my childhood and by the time I was 16 the doctors thought I had chronic fatigue syndrome.

“Then my entire body started to shut down after I was involved in a car accident.

"It was horrific, all my joints were dislocating and I was having dizzy spells.

“My physiotherapist suspected I might have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and referred me to a rheumatologist and finally they diagnosed with the condition when I was 32.”

Now her furry friend Udo helps to pick things up when she drops them, brings her the post and small parcels, empties the washing machine and opens doors, and even strips the bedsheets off.

This saves her a huge amount of energy, which she can use for enjoyable things such as taking Udo for walks.

Ms Bromley started the application process with Dogs for Good and in January this year was introduced to Udo, a handsome yellow Labrador, as a possible match. She fell in love with him straightaway and he was placed with her in mid-February, just before lockdown started.

She said: “Udo is quite a sensitive lad and he seems to have really thrived during lockdown because they’ve had so much bonding time.

“He’s such a smart dog and loves helping Toni-Jane. He’s particularly good at picking things up for her when she drops them and can’t reach them herself, such as her keys, purse or mobile phone.

“Now I can’t imagine going anywhere without him. He knows exactly what he’s doing and doesn’t get distracted by anything.

“He’s so confident in supermarkets and on buses now.

“He’s totally transformed my life, I have so much more energy now and he’s great company.

"He lifts my spirits every day which has been particularly important through lockdown.”

Mr Bromley has had 10 surgeries to fix dislocations in her ankle, hand and jaw, she has problems with her digestion and heart and takes painkillers every day.

She uses a wheelchair to get around and is due to get more operations on her hands.

Early diagnosis is important for managing the illness and Toni-Jane is much more careful now about the activities she takes part in to avoid injury.

After her diagnosis, Mr Bromley started following other people with the illness on social media and discovered some of them had assistance dogs.

She did research and found out about Dogs for Good’s assistance dogs and the task work they are expertly-trained to carry out and thought it would be really helpful for her.

Dogs for Good provides highly-trained assistance dogs to people with physical disabilities and families who have a child with autism.

The charity also supports people with learning disabilities and dementia to help them lead a more independent life through the help of a trained dog.