Animal lover Harris, who suffers from PoTS*, which causes him to have severe migraine attacks, along with unpredictable and sudden faints, was finding life extremely difficult. Aware of the evidence showing that dogs could be trained to alert for the syndrome, he tried initially to train his own dog Daniel. However, Daniel a spaniel, had his own health problems and could not be relied upon to alert accurately.

Following further research Harris bought Phantom, a now 3 year old silver standard poodle, who with the help of Medical Detection Dogs training has proved a great partner.
‘I was part way through my degree in Animal Management and Applied Science but I was struggling. My PoTS episodes were being wildly unpredictable. When it became unmanageable I had to give up my horse. I couldn’t keep a job. I was becoming a total shut in and missed out on so many opportunities, as I didn’t want to leave the house unless I absolutely had to and had someone with me. My anxiety about fainting in public was so bad that I just couldn’t function.’ says Harris.

But with reliable and consistent alerting from Phantom, his life has changed around. Harris likens to the difference between night and day.

He began training Phantom himself but in 2024 approached MDD while at Crufts. ‘I wanted to make sure I was doing everything right with the training and was looking for more supports’ adds Harris. ‘Phantom thrived with this training and made incredible progress. He now gives my life a layer of stability that previously didn’t exist.’
This security has enabled Harris to complete his foundation degree with a merit award, return to horses and look forward to further study at degree level.

Harris who currently does volunteer charity work, pays credit to Phantom. ‘I’m in a much better place than I was. I hope to become truly independent and it is thanks to Phantom. He never has any issues alerting around other dogs and his accuracy has been spot on since he was only 18 months old.’ Daniel the spaniel is not forgotten either, as he still has a role to play in Harris’ life. He enjoys tasks like helping Harris dress or undress and doing laundry chores.

*PoTS-Postural Tachycardia Syndrome.