Ellie Bourner is a 17-year-old girl from Kent. Unlike other teenagers her age, Ellie has to live with Tourettes Syndrome where she experiences physical and verbal tics. She is also affected by Irlens syndrome, anxiety, and joint issues. This will undoubtedly make day-to-day life harder.
Fortunately, an assistance dog can be a path of light. In the UK thousands of people own an assistance dog to increase their independence and confidence. These highly intelligent canines can assist with a variety of practical tasks, thus increasing the quality of life for their owners.
Ellie did have an owner-trained assistance dog, but by age 2, he became ill and as a result, was unfortunately put to sleep. This setback affected Ellie deeply. She was due to start college to study Animal Management but has since postponed this after the death of her assistance dog.
Jasper is a Labrador puppy. He is currently training to be Ellie’s new assistance dog. Jasper will undergo intensive training to support Ellie with her daily living. He is owner trained as unfortunately, Tourettes Syndrome does not qualify for funding.
To give Jasper the best training possible he needs to be trained by a professional. This could reach a cost of up to £10,000! Luckily, Jasper is currently training with Suzie, a qualified assistance dog trainer.
Ellie’s mum Elisa is trying to give her daughter the best start to living an independent life. She’s organized fundraisers and spoken to the media to help spread Ellie’s story far and wide. You may also see our products in her upcoming raffle so keep a look out!
If you’d like to donate to help train Ellie’s assistance dog you can do so here! To keep up to date with Ellie’s story head over to @Jasper_the_working_lab
Check out their story on ITV news by clicking here!