With long waiting lists for autism assistance dogs and medical alert dogs, and little prospect of getting one, teenager Ella Walker decided to train her own.

Meet Ralph, a multi-tasking medical alert and assistance dog, who’s just perfect for Ella.

They've been together since golden retriever Ralph was less than a year old. Since then, Ella has focused on training him for a range of specialist tasks and functions, with the help and support form her family and others.

Ella explains why she always has her eye on the next milestone for Ralph. 

• Assistance Dogs UK is an umbrella organisation for many assistance dogs charities 

Connected Episodes: 

More detail and photos at shineradio.uk/dogswithjobs.

Other support dogs and assistance dogs:

• Darcey the Canine Partner support dog and her owner, a relationship in full bloom 
• Benjy the trainee guide dog and his first five weeks on the job;
• Daisy, an autism assistance dog who works with a non-verbal autistic teenager; 
• Cashel, the autism assistance dog who works with an actor;
• E.T., the military assistance dog who works with a veteran;
• Medical alert detection dogs and their lives before they start work;
• Breck, the guide dog and what a mature guiding partnership looks like.

Find more dogs with interesting jobs. 

© & ℗ Kate Fairweather, 2024