The Super Spaniels - Ted & Cinna

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The Super Spaniels - Ted & Cinna

following the adventures of Ted the Assistance Dog and Cinna the Trainee 🥰

16/07/2024

Caption this 😂

13/06/2024

1: for the gram ✌️🤪
2: for linkedin 👨‍💼🤓

We just had the cutest few days in Harrogate working for at their Countryside Days event where we welcomed thousands of children from schools across Yorkshire to an educational event. It was easily the cutest, most engaged crowd I've ever had and it's ignited a love for performing to kids! I had so many beautiful interactions and I've come away with a renewed energy 🥹❤️

Once our festival season is over, I'd love to see about taking The Super Spaniel Show into schools and teaching kids about dogs & disability. The kids I worked with this week were so receptive, it was so refreshing! 🥰 If I've got any teachers on here, please comment or message me. I'd love to pick your brains about whether this is something we can do!

03/06/2024

Are you ready for the sweetest post? 😭😭

10 years ago yesterday, we brought Ted home. He wasn’t a little 8 week old puppy like lots of people assume, but instead a 6 month old puppy who hadn’t been able to be sold with his litter. You see, Ted was incredibly sick when he was younger with something called Strangles and he wasn’t well enough to leave with the rest of his littermates. 💔

After nearly losing him, and then spending 6 months nursing him back to health, his breeders David and Ellen understandably weren’t sure if they wanted to part with him. I will forever be so grateful to them for trusting me to take care of him, it makes me emotional to even type out. 😭 They couldn’t possibly have known back then just how life changing allowing me to take Ted would be. Without Ted, none of the past decade would have happened. He was the catalyst for everything. 🥹

While we’ve kept in touch, and they’ve seen all of Ted’s adventures, they’ve never seen him in person since. Until yesterday when we were performing The Super Spaniel Show at an event local to them. And so, for the first time in exactly 10 years, Ted was reunited with David, his breeder who brought along two very special pups. Let me introduce you…

In the first photo, is Ted and Nell. Nell is Ted’s mum, and she’s the grand old age of 15. Doesn’t she look amazing? 🥹 And the second photo, is Ted again with his mum Nell, and David’s new puppy, called Ted. 😭😭

My heart couldn’t have been more full. ❤️ Genuinely one of the most beautiful meetings, and I’m so glad we could do it. 🫶

29/05/2024

Happy Addison's Disease Awareness Day!

28/05/2024

This Morning 🩵 Always a blast!!
Really interesting to hear people's thoughts on whether dogs truly need to be walked every day. I'll be sharing a reel later this week on my thoughts!

On another note, this weekend I let Cinna take the drivers seat and Ted took the back seat. It wasn't an intentional move, it happened naturally. Ted was having a blast being a clown and chilling, he didn't have his professional head on. Cinna on the other hand, put his business attire on and showed me what I've always hoped he was capable of. 3 years of training paid off, and my pride is immense. It's also wonderful to know that if Ted decides at any point to take a backseat again, Cinna has the capabilities to take over whenever needed.

And now, we rest 🥰

20/05/2024

my favourite time of day 🫶 walking my boys

04/04/2024

The video says it all 🥹❤️

24/03/2024

Ted is legitimately one of best boys you could ever know. 🥹

We’ve had quite a few new people here recently who have all come from seeing Cinna's agility videos. But there's another dog in this team too! So I'm going to reintroduce Ted before delving into the latest update on his health. Ted is my 10 year old Assistance Dog. We’ve been working side by side for an entire decade, and he was the dog who helped me turn my life around after I became disabled at 13. I trained him myself, and our bond is like nothing else.

In 2021, after a few years of non-specific issues and deteriorating health, he was diagnosed with Addison's Disease and very early stage Heart Disease. We monitor his electrolytes for Addison's every 3 months, and we do a heart scan every 9 months. Both have always been really well managed post-diagnosis and ultimately of little concern, but I think waiting 9 months for a heart scan each time means your anxiety slowly builds and my brain certainly becomes consumed by the idea that this time will be the time it’s different. 😞

So when I was called back in and just his cardiologist and internal med doctor were there with no Ted in sight, my stomach dropped. Until I found out where he was. His cardiologist apologised and said he hoped I didn’t mind, but that he’d borrowed Ted for a little while longer. They had students in today, and Ted is the perfect dog to use to train them. Being the epitome of chill, he happily lies down on the table for his scan without a fuss. Literally, the best boy. 😭

His test results were pretty much great! His electrolytes were great, his bloods were perfect - and improved from last time! His heart scan showed a very slight deterioration, but we’re still in the B1 stage and remain preclinical - which is where we’d hope to keep him. 🤞

We’ll be moving to 6 monthly heart scans from here, just to make extra sure we’re on top of things. But Ted has the all clear to continue as he is, doing the job that he loves! And I can relax for another 6 months! 🥹🫶

29/02/2024

I had the sweetest opportunity recently to talk to BBC Bitesize about my career - that seems such a crazy thing to say, because I feel in such infancy with it! I wouldn’t consider myself a voice of great experience at all, I’m not old and wise! But I do have a unique perspective that others might not.

For those not in the UK, BBC Bitesize is a free online resource for kids to help with school work and exams! It’s a wealth of information, and pretty much every child - myself included - poured over it in school.

You see, while I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve achieved so far, it isn’t where I thought I’d be. I was, admittedly, nerdy as hell. I loved school, I loved exams, I loved studying. I was predicted impeccable grades, and by 11 I’d already decided what university I’d go to.

And then it all went wrong, because I became disabled. And there was no provision for education available for me. We couldn’t afford home tutoring, and neither was it going to be funded. So I didn’t get any. At the time, that seemed like the end of the world. My whole plan for life, was impossible.

Part of that was me, but part of that was also how we raise children in school. We put so much focus on SATS, GCSE’s, A Levels. We talk about picking your study subjects as though it is this steadfast decision that must see you through until retirement. It’s so narrow minded. There are few people who still do what they wanted to do at 13, but we’re given no concept of that as teens! We’re treated as though if we get no GCSE’s, or we fail them, you’ll amount to nothing.

So when BBC Bitesize approached me to speak on their podcast about my career, it felt like a full circle moment. Even though I hadn’t done things ‘the right way’, I hadn’t followed that path that we expect all children to follow, I’d still made it work. I’d made it happen, in my own way. I had a career (or three!) to talk about, my life hadn’t ended just because I hadn’t got my GCSE’s like I was supposed to. Of course, I still have so much more of a way to go, but the fact that I have anything is more than I believed possible.

I wish we helped kids see that a little more. I wish I’d have been able to see that a little more. 🥹❤️

23/02/2024

Today we learnt a lesson in celebrating too early 😂 I was so excited that he got the right turn without hesitating, that I completely missed sending him to the last jump!! 🤦

09/02/2024

I've had people say Cinna doesn't need me on an agility course, and I can see how you could think that if the video was muted. But, if you listen with the volume on, how many cues can you hear me give? Prizes to whoever can name them all! 😂 You'll also notice my hand might change, from a closed fist, flat palm, flexed to the floor, a point! Each change means something different to Cinna, and with each signal he'll respond accordingly.

02/02/2024

Starting to fine tune our weaves 🤩❤️

27/01/2024

After a few weeks off agility because of the bad weather, we're back! And boy was Cinna feeling fresh 🫣 In the desire to be realistic, I'm just gonna tell you our other three runs this day we're absolutely terrible 😂 And if you ever wondered how he knows which way to go, well...as you can hear, I've got one set of lungs on me 😂😂

24/01/2024

We had such an awesome time presenting for This Morning yesterday! And I think Ted made sure that anyone with us had a fab time too. 🥰

Honestly, it genuinely never gets old. Every person who meets him seems to break into a smile. 🥹 He is like a little antidote to glumness. It’s gorgeous. From the baby on the train journey down who sat mesmerised by him, to my cab driver who regaled us with tales of his own dogs over the years after Ted reminded him of his spaniel - or even Dermot O'Leary himself who seemed to fall head over heels! 😂

He also blew everyone away with his real age 🫣 Nobody could believe he was 10! I laughed as I explained I couldn’t either. I’d even got another dog to train as his successor so he could retire. I told them, I’d had that chat with him and he’d decided against retirement. 😂 He certainly shows no signs of it, and I’m eternally grateful for that.

Big thanks for all of the lovely comments since we were on! 🥰 For my US followers, I’ll share the advice I gave on saving money when it comes to pet care in the next few days here! ❤️

23/12/2023

December 🤧🥶🎄

To say I’ve spent most of December sick as a dog (haha, do you see what I did there? Very on brand, amirite 🤭) I’ve still got some really lovely things to look back on! 🥰 I’ve definitely run myself a bit too much into the ground this past few months, but I’ve made memories to last a lifetime. ❤️

1. A photo of the boys at Leeds Dock, the night before our last show 🥹
2. Some might say…a ride in santa’s sleigh…✨
3. Some of my fav SPL crew! It’s been so amazing to work with a vast wealth of people. I’ve taken away some amazing lessons from each. 🤩
4. Agility 1 with Cinna, look at that dog walk!! 🐾
5. A portrait of a gorgeous Boxer I painted for fun. 🎨🖌️
6. Cuddles with Ted 🤗 The best medicine.
7. Agility 2 with Cinna 🔥 So proud of his turns.
8. Ted with his Honorary Grandad, Alan Johnson 👴
9. Agility 3 with Cinna 💨 Some more simple stuff, to build our confidence back up!
10. Cinna at maximum chill, as I probably should be too! 😬😂

I’ve spent so much time in bed ill this month, I’ve only seen our christmas tree once! And yet, looking back at that catch up, it paints a totally different picture. I think that’s totally worth bearing in mind this holiday season when looking at social media. People show you what they want you to see. You wouldn’t have wanted to see my snot rags to be honest 😂❤️

28/11/2023

Yesterday, in our own small way, we made history. Let me explain.

It goes back to a few months ago when I had a bit of a radical idea. I wanted to put together a disability special episode for Steph's Packed Lunch, the TV show I work on as their resident pet expert.

As a show, they've had so many powerful episodes highlighting various socioeconomic issues, I knew they’d be perfect to tackle it. And while other TV shows have done special feature episodes, it blew me away to find no daytime show has done an episode on disability. 👀

I was adamant that we would do it, and so I set about creating a pitch with all my thoughts. Far too many thoughts, really! The team at SPL loved it, and made it a million times better, in a way that was profound. The episode wasn't dramatised, it wasn't sensationalised, nobody was used as inspiration.

In fact, it was almost underwhelming. Because it was "normal". It was representation of the real life lived experience. People were seen, people were heard. It was utterly utterly fantastic.

18 months ago I first appeared on this show, wet behind the ears with little to no TV experience. Over that time they've fostered my growth and 18 months later, they had enough faith to let me plan, pitch and co-host an entire episode. 🥹

I feel immense pride in what the show was able to achieve yesterday. And I owe a huge thanks to Steph, Matt, Jess, Dell, Charlie, Sandy and everyone else who put in work to make such an awesome feat happen. ❤️

My boys were legends! Ted was a true professional, as always. 🤓 Cinna brought chaos, light moments and great TV. 😂 And lastly, my outfit. The zebra is a mascot to those with rare diseases like myself who are often missed or neglected by medicine. Doctors are taught when you hear hoofbeats think horses not zebras. To think of the common condition, not the rare condition when diagnosing. I was proud to rep the zebras out there. 🦓

31/10/2023

Happy Halloween from The Cat, The Count and The Carrot. 👻

07/10/2023

I'm so ill with COVID at the moment, and honestly I thought the second round would be less brutal but it's far, far worse. I tested positive on Thursday morning and within a few hours I'd rapidly deteriorated. I genuinely was so worried that day was ending with an ambulance.

The most frustrating thing about getting ill when you're already ill is that it's almost like your body diverts its normal efforts to deal with that to the "new" illness. Which makes sense. But god it's horrific. Suddenly you're dealing with a horrible virus and then all the problems that come with your existing conditions spiralling out of control too. My heart rate has been sky high, my guts have stopped processing stuff, which means no pain meds are working. Even down the tube, it's fruitless.

To make matters worse, I'm too worried about passing it to the dogs, so I've not really interacted with them which is gutting 😞 Ted is a good lad and understands, but Cinna finds it really confusing and has been desperately trying to cuddle me.

The one saving grace is that our routine is always so varied that the dogs manage really well when I'm not able to do much. They've just been chilling, which I am so grateful for. I strongly believe it's super important to vary your dogs daily routine regularly. The last thing you want is to get sick or injured and your dog is looking at you at 5pm wondering where their daily walk is.

I really hope I feel better soon 😞 this was my bit of time off in 6 weeks. And the first day, the very first day I got COVID. 😭

(Photo obviously taken before infection. I am isolating.)

26/09/2023

September 🍃

I feel like I always post these long posts which are quite emotional. But sometimes, it leaves me feeling like some things arent "enough" for a post. So I'm going to start sharing the smaller things from each month, in one collective post.

1. Ted relaxing after a long month 😌
2. Riding Ranger, a Dartmoor Pony who I've fallen in love with. Every time I look at this photo and I see the expression on my face, I can't help but beam. 🐴
3. Agility 1 with Cinna 💨
4. The boys menu for early September 🥘
5. The boys swimming in Ashton Court, they loved this pond 🌊
6. Agility 2 with Cinna 🔥 Working on his contact equipment. I was VERY proud of him hitting his contacts (the yellow bits!). 🥰
7. The boys menu for late September 🥗
8. Agility 3 with Cinna 🍊 Working on adding weaves into sequences, he's so fast 🥹
9. The epitome of style at DogFest Harewood 🤡
10. Cinna being a Lads Lad at the pub 🍻

The busiest month of our year. We're exhausted 😴 Next month is much quieter, I'm not sure what we'll do with ourselves actually. Probably catch up on all the life admin I'm behind on 😅

13/09/2023

It was so good to be back on Steph's Packed Lunch yesterday! Much like before the summer break, I’m on every other Tuesday talking about all things pets! 🥰

Yesterday was a heavy one - we were talking about Dangerous Dogs & the XL Bully. I felt so strongly about making sure we presented a balanced discussion without sensationalising. I’m so grateful to the team for allowing me to do just that, and I’m so pleased to have received such great feedback from the dog world. ❤️ one thing's for sure, I certainly don't envy the government for the tricky landscape they'll have to navigate with the ever changing situation in the UK.

Moving forwards, I can’t wait to see what we’ll end up talking about between now and December. If there's anything you'd like to hear spoken about on TV, let me know! Here’s to more great conversations with great people 🤠

25/08/2023

One year older, one year bolder 🎂😇

21/08/2023

I’ve often been told that I’ve adapted to being disabled well.

‘You always seem so positive.’ ‘You just get on with it.’ ‘I don’t know how you do it!’

First, you don’t really get another option. Second, I was too busy with battles I didn’t choose; healthcare, diagnoses, medication, housing, accessibility, wheelchairs. Third, well…that’s when it was on me.

Subconsciously, I crafted a web of avoidance that acted as a cover for my denial.

My life had now become split in two; pre and post disability. Who I was before became a painful reminder, and so I never revisited it. I decided against things without even trying - I can’t date as a disabled person, I can’t go on nights out, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t. I didn’t talk about these things - I just internalised them. The world sometimes reinforced them, but I didn’t help matters.

That’s not to say I’m not proud of the life I’ve built now. said it best in an interview with the telegraph recently. If I wasn’t disabled, life wouldn’t be better. It would be easier though.

To my mind, there are four things from my old life that I have not still revisited and conquered.

1. Horse Riding.
2. Skiing.
3. A music festival.
4. Going to the beach.

Over time, those pangs of pain when my mind wandered became duller, and duller. I began to heal mentally, and the bitterness sweetened. What surprised me though, is that with that, an interest in revisiting the old life came. And riding, I decided, was where I’d start.

I imagined it would be difficult to find somewhere that would be able to help me. Would the horses spook at wheelchairs? How would I mount the horse?

But, I was totally wrong. For the first time in my life, it was easy. There was an abundance of places that catered to disabled riders, they had a concrete mounting ramps that wheelchairs could go up - it seemed like they had everything covered. This, I was not used to.

After 12 long years of being out of the saddle, I expected getting back in it would be this powerful moment. But, it just felt normal, and that was a wonderfully bizarre concept.

p.s. the boys are naturally fuming I am doing something without them 😂 life revolves around them, don't you know? 😜

28/07/2023

Let me set the scene.

We're having our kitchen renovated, so our living room is full of all sorts of odds and ends, much to the dogs amusement.

Cinna's toy box, which he loves, has been blocked off by the clutter. This was less amusing to him. He was bouncing off the walls with boredom.🙄

My Mum turned to him, laughed, and said 'Why don't you just get some toys to entertain yourself?'

Cinna responded by shoving his nose into her face.🫣

Ted, meanwhile, decided he'd had enough. He walked over to the cabinet we use for the Super Spaniel show, and pawed at it. We'd taken the handle off that he'd normally use to open it. My mum obliged his request, reattaching his handle. 🤔

Ted proceeded to unload a metric ton of toys, that we didn't know were in there, and drop them at Cinna's feet. The dog could barely contain himself, bouncing and leaping around with toys galore.

Ted seemed to almost huff, handing me one of the toys as if to say, ‘well aren’t you gonna play with me too.’😂😂

The boys know more phrases than the average dog with their job. Last night, Ted used his vast vocabulary to shut up his annoying younger brother, and nearly killed my Mum and I from laughing.

Living with these dogs is a blessing I’ll never take for granted. 🥹❤️

24/07/2023

I have some really, really great news 🥹
Ted’s paw has the all clear! He’s now able to start building his muscle back up, and slowly return back to work! 💪

To go from a potential amputation to being able to roam freely is such an amazing change, and I’m absolutely thrilled. 😁 Admittedly, I’m a bit helicopter-mum at the moment, hovering over him at every chance to make sure he doesn’t injure himself again, but I’m sure in time I’ll relax.

While Cinna has absolutely picked up the slack and blossomed into a beautiful assistance dog-to-be, with our relationship stronger than ever, I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t very pleased to have Ted back on his way to fitness! 🥰

I am laughing an awful lot though at the idea of trying to bring him back into work - especially his performances. For the past few months, he’s sat on the sidelines getting cuddled by my mum, under parasols, being fed countless treats. I quite expect he’s realised the grass is far greener on the “injured” side of life 😂🙄

But no, on a serious note, it’s going to be wonderful to have him back alongside me, and it makes all our lives a lot easier with my boy not needing carrying everywhere! In the small amount of freedom he’s had already, he’s been so excited. Long may it continue Mr Ted, boy have you earnt it these past few months. 🥳

Thank you so much to every comment and message we’ve received over such a rough time. While I can’t always respond, I read every single one and they mean the world!! I always feel so lucky to have so many people looking out for us. Never underestimate how much your support means. 🥹❤️

11/07/2023

Last week I had a very exciting day filming with BBC Morning Live, and it was a series of firsts for all of us! 😁 For myself, it was the first time I’d led an entire segment. 🫣 In other shows, I’ve been interviewed, except this time, I was the interviewer! We filmed all day, starting with me teaching someone how to get their dog to get them undressed. Then I interviewed a trainer from an assistance dog charity. Finally, I demonstrated how you’d teach your dog to tidy up.

It struck me how much I wished I had seen this kind of content when I was younger and searching for hope. I remember catching a glimpse of a dog assisting a disabled person on TV, but there was never any guidance on training your own dog or where to find support. Being able to share that knowledge on camera was truly meaningful, and I hope it brings hope to anyone who may be in a similar situation. 🥹

It was also a big day for Cinna! Filming can be a tricky environment for dogs, with faceless figures towering over you and bulky cameras that zip around in an instant. For a dog like Cinna, who hasn't always been the most confident, it was a real challenge. Normally, I would have chosen Ted to perform in this situation. But with Ted still recovering, Cinna stepped up to the plate—and he absolutely nailed it! He even learned new tasks on the spot for the cameras! Seeing him happy and confident in such an overwhelming setting was heartwarming. 🥰

And for Mr Ted, it was a first of mostly just chilling. Due to tight time constraints, Mr Ted doesn’t make a cameo, poor lad! I know he’d have much rather been helping out, but he still needs rest. 😞

Now, the big news—when can you watch it? TOMORROW! The turnaround was crazy quick! Tune in to BBC One on Weds 12th, at 9.15am to catch the show and see how we did! It will be a first for all of us, as I haven't seen it either! 😂 Next time ❤️

Thank you all for your incredible support on this journey, it’s crazy to me that most of you followed me because I taught my dog to help me so that I could leave the house, and now you’re watching me become a TV presenter. What a ride! It means the world to have you with us, and I hope you enjoy watching! 📺❤️

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When agility is worth more than your ball 🤩