After applying to Medical Detection Dogs for help to manage PoTs, when Danne imagined an alert dog by his side, he thought of a lovely Labrador.  But MDD assistance dogs come in all shapes and breeds from the very small to the very tall, and tall is exactly what he got. Dasher is a female black standard poodle, the largest of the poodle breed with a personality to match. Danne describes her as ‘feisty, playful and loving’, adding ‘I really liked her as soon as we met, because she had a spring to her step and a zest for life’.

Danne was still a teenager when PoTs appeared in his life, but over the following years and despite various treatments, the fainting episodes increased and could not be controlled. ‘I became unable to work a standard job and even simple daily tasks became very difficult to maintain’.

Unable to leave the house alone Danne suffered from loneliness. Dasher and her antics now make Danne laugh every day and her confident detection of PoTs episodes means Danne has time to get down to the ground before a collapse and avoid fainting.

Danne, a published poet and creative coach who lives in Kent, feels safe with Dasher. Going forward he hopes to be able to meet more people in person and attend poetry events to expand his network. ‘My hope is that fainting much less than before will give me more energy to dedicate to creative and professional activities, and that with Dasher keeping me safe, I will be able to meet the friends I have barely been able to see’.