Tanya and Kuro’s story

A few months ago, Tanya didn’t believe in love at first sight. But all that changed when she first met her tall, dark and handsome man, Kuro.

“His [Kuro’s] coat was immaculate and his eyes so bright… absolutely beautiful”, Tanya said. But her love for Kuro, her new Assistance Dog goes far beyond his looks.

“Due to my MS, I find myself at home a lot due to the effort it takes to get out (of the house) and when I do get out I get stared at because of my walking abilities… people think I’m drunk. My enclosed lifestyle was slowly but surely closing in… I saw this [getting an Assistance Dog] as a lifeline and Kuro has been just that… Now I don’t even look for the public’s reaction – my focus is on him and his on me”, Tanya said.

When Tanya doesn’t have the energy or the ability to perform everyday tasks, Kuro is there to assist. He opens the fridge door and brings Tanya her water bottle or bag on command. When they are out on walks, he will pass her the lead if she drops it. Tanya’s MS means that she can get into situations that could be dangerous so Kuro has been trained to bark if she needs help.

“My neighbours are aware that if he barks continuously there is something wrong – I did have a fall recently and he was immediately by my side and barked until someone came to help me up. Kuro is a dog with spunk. His tail seems to be controlled by my laugh. Even when I smile at him I usually get a tail wag. However, if I am having a good belly laugh, his whole bum gets wagging. Kuro is one of the best presents I have ever received”.

Despite being together for only a short amount of time, they have bonded like best friends. Tanya hopes that by telling her story, it will encourage people to support Assistance Dogs Australia in our search for volunteers to raise our super puppies. Puppy raisers care for Super Pups for the first 14 months of training, teaching them basic obedience and socialising them so that one day they can become Assistance Dogs like Kuro.

“They [Assistance Dogs Australia] have helped me enjoy life again… and that is priceless”.