Chloe Fuller, a 23 year old Born in Lancashire, she was forced to drop out of school as a young teenager when she was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS).
As she struggled to come to terms with her disability and lack of independence, service dog Ted entered her life – and changed everything. With Chloe’s guidance, Ted quickly learned over 100 commands to help her complete simple tasks most would take for granted, from putting on shoes to helping her recover from periods of blackout.
Now next to her “super dogs”, Chloe strives to break stereotypes about disability and create a positive outlook for people with disabilities.
19-year-old Chloe has trained her pet spaniel to help with everyday tasks around the house, from picking up things to helping out when she needs to change or put away the laundry. Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome causes an increase in heart rate after standing or sitting upright because of its genetic link to Ehlers Danlos syndrome, which has drastically weakened Chloe’s joints.
When Chloe Fuller was new 14 years oldshe met Ted, a five-month-old puppy who would change her life.
At the time, Chloe was living with a rare condition called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS), which causes an accelerated heart rate after standing or sitting.
The condition made it difficult for Chloe to attend school like other children her age, so she was homeschooled from the age of thirteen. At sixteen, Chloe used a wheelchair because of the weakened state of her joints.
However, Ted – who met Chloe through Dog Assistance in Disability (AID) – quickly got used to her wheelchair and proved to be an invaluable service dog.
Over the next 13 months, the duo qualified as one of the youngest and fastest partnerships with Dog AID. Ted helped Chloe with everything from putting on shoes to helping her recover from periods of blackout. He even became something of a social media star, with his own Facebook and Instagram profiles.
Thanks to Ted, Nicola, Chloe’s mother, was able to return to work two days a week. Chloe credits Ted for bringing joy and laughter to her life saying, “I don’t know what I’d do without him.”
