SOMETIMES you need a little help from your friends, and for chronic arthritis sufferer Caroline Jephcott she has all the assistance she needs courtesy of her four-legged pal Yasmin.
Labrador Yasmin has been Caroline's canine partner for six years and the pair are inseparable.
Caroline, 35, of Longlevens, said: "Before I met Yasmin, I relied on mum coming over to my house to help me get socks and shoes off, do the washing, pick up the mail. These are things which used to take me half an hour if I attempted it on my own.
"I would often drop car keys in the street and no-one would help me pick them up because I look young and people, I presume, thought I might be up to no good.
"I would therefore end up stranded feeling close to tears until a trusting soul came to help me. Now with Yasmin, I never worry about any of these problems as she does them for me.
"Yasmin has made me a happy person again."
Yasmin has been through extensive training during which time she was looked after by volunteer puppy parents.
Jenny Turner and Adam Martin are two such people and have recently welcomed newbie canine partner Libby into their Tuffley home.
Jenny said: "Libby is a lovely yet cheeky puppy and already learning so much at just eight weeks. So far she has learnt to pick up her food bowl, sit, come here and recognise her name so things are looking good."
Eight-week old black Labrador Libby, who attends weekly training classes in Stonehouse, will reach the end of her basic training when she is 14 months old after which she will return to the Canine Partners National Training Centre in West Sussex for advanced task work training and be matched to a person with disabilities.
Canine Partners is looking for fundraisers and volunteers.
Call Heather Loan on 07826 232 727 or visit www.caninepartners.org.uk
