As Manchester City hope to regain the Premier League title as the season kicks off this weekend, one superfan and her life-saving dog have already picked up a top accolade.
Life-long City fan Lynn Ratcliffe and her previous epilepsy seizure alert dog Simba hit headlines as the pooch had his own season ticket.
Simba had seen the Blues lift 18 trophies, having attended every home game with Lynn and almost every away fixture.
But now the older Lab is putting his paws up in well-earned retirement, and his successor, Barnby, and Lynn have recently graduated as a successful Support Dogs partnership.
Where Simba, now 12, had been trained by the national Support Dogs charity to give Lynn a 100 per cent reliable, 24-minute alert to an oncoming seizure, enabling her to get to the first aid room to have her seizure in safety and privacy, three-year-old Labrador Barnby gives Lynn 29 minutes.
โIโm really looking forward to the season,โ said Lynn, 66, of Cheadle, who has been
โbereft of footballโ, going along to North West Counties Football Leagueโs Cheadle Town FC games in the absence of Premier League fixtures.
โThey play in red and white, for my sins.โโIt wasnโt such a good season last year, but obviously Pep Guardiola has made changes to the team and weโre hopeful itโs going to be better than it was last year.โ
Lynn, who was diagnosed with epilepsy in 1998 after sustaining a head injury at a funfair, had taken Barnby along to matches last year, but can do so with added confidence, now that Barnby is fully-qualified.
The mum-of-two and grandmother-of-seven, whose first support dog, Dougal, gave a 10-minute alert, said:
โItโs always great when they qualify. Even though itโs my third dog with Support Dogs, you always worry whether you or the dog will do something wrong on the day of the assessment, so itโs been a huge relief to become an official partnership.
โBarnby has done well ever since he was placed with me โ heโs been a pro and is already a familiar face at the Etihad.โ
And Lynn and Barnby were among more Man City fans โ at Oasis Wembley gig earlier this month, with Barnby donning special ear defenders, ensuring Lynnโs safety.
โBarnby has allowed me to live as independently as possible and be able to go to matches safely and Iโm really looking forward to the new season โ I just hope we win,โ said Lynn.
Support Dogs trains and provides specialist assistance dogs to support autistic children and adults with epilepsy or physical disability to live safer, more independent lives.
Lynn has recently developed osteoporosis and in addition to alerting to seizures, Barnby has been trained to pick up and fetch.
Support Dogsโ chief executive Rita Howson said:
โIโm absolutely thrilled that Barnby is enabling Lynn to continue living independently and to enjoy her beloved City games. This pair are the perfect example of how life-saving and life-changing our dogs are.โ
To find out more about Support Dogs, please visit www.supportdogs.org.uk or call 0114 2617800.
