One year ago, Sandra Bell was struggling to cope with multiple sclerosis, scared to leave the house on her own and devastated at having to give up the job she loved.

And then she met Bumble, the golden retriever.

“Now, when I go out, people stop to talk to me about my dog – rather than simply rushing past to avoid the ‘lady-in-the-wheelchair’,” smiles Sandra. “Bumble has made a big difference to my life.”

When she looks back at the last seven years, Sandra – now 51 and living in Hillington – shakes her head in disbelief.

“It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was getting on with my life as normal,” she says.

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“I’d worked as a psychiatric nurse for 30 years and had become a psychiatric liaison nurse manager, part of a team looking after people in crisis.

“It could be quite a stressful job but I loved it. I thrived on the buzz of it all.”

In 2009, Sandra started to feel unwell.

“My GP sent me to hospital after she noticed I had difficulty with walking and vision and my speech was slurred,” says Sandra.

“In hindsight I think I probably had symptoms for quite a while but just carried on.”

Diagnosed with MS, a neurological condition which can affect mobility, Sandra struggled to cope at first.

“Now I will use whatever I need to get me from A to B, but at first, I was adamant that I wouldn’t use a stick,” she recalls. “Then I wouldn’t use crutches.

“I had to take early retirement three years ago - I was devastated to have to leave my job, but now I look upon it as a blessing.”

She smiles: “ If I hadn’t left, I probably would never have applied to Canine Partners.”

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Canine Partners is a UK-wide charity which provides specially-trained assistance dogs to help people with physical disabilities.

Founded in 1990, it has created more than 600 partnerships, training dogs to help people, such as wounded veterans of HM Forces, with even the most complex disabilities.

“I heard about the charity but did nothing for a year – I felt like there were many other people who needed help more than me,” says Sandra.

“Then I met Carter, a beautiful golden doodle, and his owner Heather, and everything changed.

“I talked to Heather for about an hour about the charity and how it works and her parting words to me were – apply, they can only say no.”

The charity did not say no, however, and supported Sandra throughout the application process. In May last year, she got the call to say they had found a possible match and Sandra headed to the offices in Heyshott in West Sussex where she met Bumble for the first time.

“It was love at first sight,” jokes Sandra. “I spent two weeks on the charity’s residential training course, which was one of the hardest things I have done for a long time.

“But I met some friends for life and within a few months of my return home, I realised what all the hard work had been about. Bumble and I had to create a partnership.”

She pauses. “I cannot tell you how much I love her and what a difference she has made to my life,” she says. “Before Bumble I had lost all my confidence - now I am never on my own with her at my side.”

Sandra adds: “I used to find it very frustrating when I dropped things, which I do frequently, as I had to ask someone else to pick them up for me.

“Now, Bumble does this for me. I also struggled to get my clothes off, which she does with ease, even putting them on the chair for me. She gets me the phone, which is a huge reassurance to my family, as they know she can help if anything happens.

“She also lifts the footplates on my wheelchair, something I cannot do on my own.”

Sandra’s family say they are glad to “have Sandra back” now that she has Bumble and is once more in control of her life.

“We all got a bit wrapped up in what wasn’t going well with my MS, but Bumble has helped us all to change our focus,” explains Sandra.

“She gets time off too – when she is working, she wears her purple jacket with pride but when it’s playtime, she gets to run around in the park. She’s not a robot, after all – she is still a dog.”

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Sandra believes wholeheartedly that having a 'canine partner'is life-changing.

“I have always said that although some days are tougher than others, MS is part of me,” she explains.

“But I wouldn’t be as happy as I am today if I didn’t have Bumble.”

Sandra adds: “She makes me smile every day, even when I couldn’t always find things to smile about.

“She melts everyone’s hearts – but I love her the most.”

For more information about Canine Partners, visit the website on caninepartners.org.uk or call the Scottish fundraising office on 01786 447208.