Watch the video of the smallest assistance dog below.
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Former university lecturer Judith Margolis, 67, was diagnosed with cerebellar ataxia, a disorder that causes a lack of muscle and coordination control, in the early 2000’s that left her wheelchair-bound since 2007. But thanks to her trusty support dog Fudge, she has been able to get on with life.
The talented Fudge can help Judith take her socks off, can open and close doors, and even tidies up after her as well as fetches her remote. And what’s remarkable is that Fudge is able to accomplish these big tasks despite being only 13 inches long.
The tiny terrier is probably Britain’s smallest assistance dog but he probably has the biggest heart of them all. Judith says Fudge has practically saved her life.
The clever dog even serves as a living hot compress bag for Judith and that helps soothe the crippling pain she feels in her legs which means she can take less medication.
Judith, from Cambridge, said: “Fudge does his tasks which is incredible. He helps me so much on a day to day basis.
“He’s also an incredible painkiller for me too.
“He’ll get up and sit on my legs and it’s like having the most amazing fluffy hot water bottle.
“I’ve even been able to stop using one of my painkillers because of him.
“He’s a huge confidence booster for me when I’m out and about.
“He’s the most loving dog I’ve ever had. He’s so loving and affectionate.
“I think to say that he has saved my life is a cliché but actually, he has.”
She used to have another support dog, a Lhasa Apso named Alfie, who has since retired. She was then matched with Fudge, a terrier pug cross, in 2016. The Blue Cross had rescued the dog after which Fudge spent 18 months being trained by the organization Support Dogs.
Aside from being able to do what bigger assistance dogs can do, Fudge even managed to raise the alarm when she fell out of her wheelchair, something he wasn’t trained to do.
She said: “I fell out of my wheelchair a few weeks ago while I was out on a walk with Fudge.
“He’s not trained to alert people but he ran over to the other side of the field I was in and got someone’s attention and then brought them over to me.
“He’s wonderful and clearly very clever.”
Judith described a typical day with Fudge: “I get up and Fudge helps me get undressed and brings me my slippers and getting dressed.
“After breakfast, we always go for a walk so he can have some free time.
“He jumps up on my bench so I can put on his lead and then opens and closes the back gate and off we go to the park.
“He loves to run free and meet other dogs. He has amazing recall and comes back when I blow my whistle.
“He loves his treats so I always reward him when he returns. He loves his ball and brings it back when I throw it.”
Fudge has not only helped her physically, but he has also positively impacted her social and mental health as well.
She said: “When you’re disabled you become a bit invisible but if you have a dog people come up to you and talk to you so socially it’s made a huge difference.
“He comes everywhere with me. We’re a team.
“Because without Fudge I would probably not go out and not see anybody, and I’m quite a positive person, but without people and doing things it’s very easy to sink into depression if you’ve got cerebella ataxia.
“With a dog, I have to get up and go out, and just that pressure alone makes such a difference. So he’s saved my life, really.”
Danny Anderson, Support Dogs fundraising manager, said: “We work with a variety of dogs, including those from rescue centers or unwanted pets. We don’t have our own breeding program and love being able to give an amazing dog a second chance and transform them into a lifesaver.”
Amy Younger, an Assistant Manager at Blue Cross, said: “Fudge immediately struck me as something special.
“He was very busy, into everything and clearly intelligent.
“At Blue Cross, we always carefully match pets in our care to the best new home – for both the dog and their new owners – so thought Fudge might need be busy with lots to do in his new home or he might get bored and frustrated.
“We thought Fudge may thrive in a working environment so when Support Dogs got in touch we knew he would be just the ticket.”