Olive

Laura arrives with her soulmate, eight-year-old dachshund Olive, who has suddenly lost the use of her back legs.

Olive has worked with Laura as a therapy dog with pupils at the school where she teaches, and they’ve been inseparable since she first started helping the children as a twelve-week-old puppy. MRI scans confirm that a disc in Olive’s spine has blown – a genetic issue in this breed – and the clock is ticking as she is taken to surgery.

“When the disc explodes and hits the spinal cord it does damage, which is why it’s important you’re here quickly” Noel explains, “when you’re told a dog is going off its legs, it’s an emergency.” But even after the operation, it’s still by no means certain that Olive will ever walk again.