British woman named as
European vice-president!

Wendy and Caesar at the memorial to Franklin D. Roosevelt, USA's only wheelchair-using President.

WENDY Morrell from Broadstone, Dorset, and Caesar her golden retriever assistance dog, from Dogs for the Disabled, have recently touched down after a three-week-long trip to the United States of America (USA).

Wendy, a board member of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP) travelled to the USA for the half-yearly board meeting and annual conference and naturally, Caesar went too.

Wendy, who has been a wheelchair user since she suffered a brain injury in a sports accident some years ago, said “Caesar is a perfect assistant; the tasks he performs for me are the key to me leading such an independent life.”

The pair flew with Virgin Atlantic to Washington DC and then transferred to Baltimore for the board meeting, IAADP conference and the conference of Assistance Dogs International. “The care and attention given to us at every stage of our journey by airport staff, Virgin Atlantic and DEFRA on our return to the UK, were second to none”, Wendy said.

Wendy and Caesar in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Building.

At the board meeting, Wendy was offered the newly developed role of European vice-president of the organisation. She said: “This is an important role, which I was delighted to be offered and readily accepted. It was great to be able to exchange news and views about pressing matters in the world of assistance dogs; even though there are many differences, we also have much in common. No matter where you are in the world, access for assistance dog partnerships is always a top priority.

"Over the past few years I have been working on access not only here in the UK with Dogs for the Disabled, but within Europe in conjunction with Assistance Dogs Europe and with assistance dog partnerships in Norway, Sweden, Austria and Croatia. There’s so much to do, it is my aim that a partnership could travel within Europe and not be declined access as is often the case now. Just last autumn, a shopkeeper in Denmark asked me to tie Caesar up outside as it was the equivalent to having a rat in his shop! There was no law in place to protect us, so we had to leave.

"Here in the UK we are very fortunate in having laws that ensure that assistance dogs partnered with people of all disabilities are assured access to places, however, it’s not the case throughout Europe and some other parts of the world. Over-all it was a super trip, a good mix of work, rest and play for both Caesar and myself. Much was asked of him, and once again he rose to the challenge."

Towards the end of the trip, the partners took a holiday in Washington DC and were once again guests of Senator John Warners’ staff on Capitol Hill. They were fortunate enough to be able to view debates in the House of Representatives and The Senate and were treated to luncheon in the Senators' dining room.

As a registered assistance dog, Caesar is allowed to travel in the cabin of the aeroplane alongside Wendy and with the two flights on this trip, he has now notched up a total of 28 flights in his working career.

With the Pet Passport and policy guidelines for the carriage of assistance dogs by UK airlines, assistance dog partnerships can enjoy international travel like never before. Further information about Dogs for the Disabled and IAADP can be found online at www.dogsforthedisabled.org and www.iaadp.org. Wendy may be contacted directly at wendy@iaadp.org.

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