Steve and Farley

Another superb (but cold!) day filming Friends for Life for Crufts 2009. Today I went to a little village in Leicester (yes pronounced LESTER ;) to meet Steve and Farley. Steve is a disabled service man who served in the British Army in his 20's. He was just about to finish his post in Northern Ireland when he was caught in a bomb blast and lost both his legs and an eye. Steve is such an inspiration. (I needed some more kleenex today) I won't tell you too much - again you need to tune into Friends for Life in a few weeks to hear more about Steve and Farley's story.

Steve is this tough looking guy but such a sweet heart. Farley, a strong, fit for function and fit for life pedigree black Labrador is the perfect fit for Steve and his family. Farley was so happy to meet me and he managed to get quite a few good belly rubs from me during the course of our filming. Today was one of those days where I felt gratitude but also so much admiration for someone who has a tough lot in life but chose to make the most of it. Steve is funny, kind, adventurous, full of love for his family and of course Farley who helps him around the house.

I hope to do HALF the things that Steve has already accomplished in his life since losing his legs. These are just some of the amazing feats Steve has done recently ... helping other service men, jumping out of a planes, sailing the atlantic, learning to swim, riding motorcycles, playing wheelchair basketball just to name a few things!

Well I can go on and on but there is more filming to do tomorrow so I must start preparing for pre production and get underway with some sleep. I am so grateful for dogs, getting to work with dogs and being able to meet incredibly inspirational people like Steve.

Support Dogs for the Disabled www.dogsforthedisabled.org and don't forget to check out all the Friends for Pets nominees in a couple of weeks. It's going to be a great show!

The Dog Reporter©