Orca

If any dog earned the right to be called a canine superhero, it was Orca. Among his awards were the PDSA gold medal and the Pro Dogs silver medal.

He was recognised as a bona fide carer by the City of York in the UK and was entitled to claim expenses for food and equipment (that must have looked a bit odd when the auditors checked the accounts!). His story has appeared in the book Hearts Minds and Paws, he made television appearances, and he even released the balls for the national lottery. His extraordinary story has been extensively covered by newspapers and magazines.

One hundred and fifty commands

Orca’s story is remarkable for many reasons. His ability to recognise 150 commands alone made him almost unique. He understood his left from his right and his owner’s left from her right. He could load the washing machine and turn switches on and off. In the supermarket, he would take items off the shelf, put them in the basket and finally place them on the conveyor. He could operate the ATM and a VCR, undo shoe laces, collect hats and gloves, collect the TV handset and mobile phone, and he could recognise 30 items by name. He would take money inside an envelope into a shop without wheelchair access and return with a newspaper also, he could press the buttons for pedestrian crossings and lifts. After the birth of his owner’s daughter, Orca brought nappies, baby wipes and the changing mat and also assisted in dressing the baby.

Most remarkably, he could follow a string of instructions, up to five at a time. An example of this was being asked to retrieve a book from a table. The instruction being. “Out, up table, get the book, bring it here.” As a dog trainer, I know how difficult it is to train “string commands.” Once or twice for a specific task that is used repeatedly, yes, but Orca could follow up to five strings of commands repeatedly for so many different tasks. In fact, I could spend all day waxing lyrical about this talented canine, but I guess by now, you want to hear why he is famous in the UK. Well, his determination to save his owner’s life was not only extraordinary in itself but his decision-making process was almost beyond comprehension. Just before we get into the incident, let me give you examples of this dog’s mindset. If Cheryl dropped an item, then Orca generally picked it up without being asked. However, if he thought that she was capable of reaching it herself, he didn’t interfere. Cheryl would recount that when in the bank, she dropped a ten-pound note, and when a stranger attempted to pick it up, Orca placed his paw on the note and refused to move until the man stepped back. He then retrieved the ten-pound note and returned it to Cheryl.

At the time of this incident, Orca was barely out of training, was 17 months old and had been with Cheryl Alexander for approximately two months.

An incredible tale

The following took place on the 18^th May 2003.

Cheryl was in her early 20s and suffers from Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome, a particularly disabling condition that left the sufferer with very limited mobility. Whilst out on her powered wheelchair, she hit an obstruction on the footpath, tipping her down a steep slope of about 20 feet into a ditch. Unable to move, trapped under the heavy wheelchair, Cheryl realised that her situation was serious.

Orca descended the slope, but despite being larger than the average Retriever 36kilos (80 lbs), he was unable to move the chair, and even if he had, there was no way that Cheryl could escape from her predicament, so she sent Orca to get help. He reluctantly left.

His first attempt was to try to get the attention of a passerby by was a failure. Unfortunately, the man assumed that Orca had strayed and tried to hold his collar and return him home. Now, assistance dogs are trained to follow, not lead. They are not guide dogs, and they are taught to react to instructions. Realising that the stranger had not grasped the seriousness of the situation and wasn’t going to follow him, Orca did the unthinkable: he made a decision that goes against all assistance dog training. Orca suddenly stopped without warning; his collar slipped over his head, and he was now free to try and get help.

He returned to check that Cheryl was okay, but by now, it was raining, and she was in danger of drowning. It was another two hours before Orca found a jogger willing to follow him, but by now, the distance back to Cheryl was about a mile. By the time Orca had managed to find assistance, Cheryl was suffering from hypothermia, close to drowning and barely conscious. She was treated in hospital and recovered. However, the emergency service personnel all agreed that, without a doubt, Cheryl would have died if not for Orca. The ditch was not visible; it was cold and raining, and the path was not commonly used.

Not only did Orca have the ability to go against his training when he realised that he had failed in his first attempt, but had the ability to persevere and check on Cheryl’s welfare as well.

Incredibly, the whole event lasted 3 hours.

Orca would go on to spend the rest of his life with Cheryl and her family until he passed away peacefully on November 5^th 2014, aged 12 years.