Dog takes owner for a walk

They say a dog is a man's best friend – but for Alan Smith his pet Kody is so much more. The three year-old Jack Russell pulls him around the streets in his wheelchair, and the two can often be seen out and about near their Nottingham home.

Mr Smith, 57, said: "He will stop at the edge of the roads and look for traffic. His only downfall is if he sees a cat or another dog – he stops and crouches like a tiger. His muscles are strong and the vet says he's very healthy."

Mr Smith has used a wheelchair for 15 years, since his bones deteriorated after a polio attack. Kody has not been specially trained to act as an assistance dog. Mr Smith and his wife Donna bought him for companionship, and at first the trips involved the three of them.



They attached Kody to Mr Smith's wheelchair while Mrs Smith rode her bicycle.
But now Kody takes his owner out on by himself, and Mr Smith says the dog gives him the freedom of a walking man.

He said: "He takes me out for half an hour every day and it gives Donna a rest. He's a wonderful companion and when we're out it's just the two of us against the world.

"He gets to run which is good exercise for him. But sometimes you can be doing 15 miles per hour on the bad Clifton pavements – it shakes my innards up something rotten!"

There are videos here and here.