An incredibly moving and inspiring (true) story.
In 1991 Navy officer Allen Parton returned to the UK after a car accident in the Gulf. He had suffered traumatic internal injury to his brain which had left him with memory loss, speech problems,loss of feeling in the right side of his body, paranoia and depression deep enough to provoke two suicide attempts. When he first revisited his family home he had no memory of his wife or two children.
Alternate chapters give Allen and Sandra's side of the story. At this time it was as if: "a stranger had taken over Allen's body" (S). "I'd woken up and found myself living in the middle of a life that didn't feel like mine." (A).
The turning point came when, seven years later, they encountered Endal, a Labrador in training with the charity Canine Partners:
http://www.caninepartners.co.uk/
Although Endal was not without his own problems (the product of an accidental father/daughter mating, the only survivor of his litter who suffered from joint problems (osteochondritis) all his life), as Allen observes: "From the moment he arrived in my life he gave me unqualified, unconditional love that shone out of his gentle face gazing up at me by the side of my chair". In Sandra's words: "Above all he was a sensitive,compassionate dog who genuinely liked helping people in need. That was his character. That's what he was all about........And he loved Allen to the core, utterly doted on him with every fibre of his being."
The rest of the book is devoted to the restoration of relationships within the family and Endal and Allen's growing media and fund-raising work. As the book closes Endal's successor, EJ (Endal Junior), is beginning to follow in his foot(paw?)steps and Endal's own health is in decline.
Endal died in 2009. His life in pictures can still be seen at http://www.endal.co.uk/
Allen continues with his charity work. He is now also founder/vice-chairman/trustee of a newly-established charity: Hounds for Heroes:
http://www.houndsforheroes.com/
focusing on the specific assistance needs of wounded ex-servicemen/women.
EP RIP
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