Part three of gentle Edward’s story

THE third part of the story of a woman with a rare skin disease and her beloved dog, Edward.

One day on the bus home from art, laden with art books etc, Edward stopped the bus at the beach. As we passed the beach the bus stopped and the driver turned to me and said:”Do you want this stop love.” I said “no.” “Well your dog pressed the button.” You can see that Edward has a sense of humour.

I am not allowed to cry as it closes my throat altogether and I have to go into hospital and be put on a drip until it opens again. Sometimes it is very hard not to get upset so I just bury my face in his fur and it all falls away. After all, nothing can be that bad as long as I have Edward.

He even stays in hospital with me as it would make my throat close if I get upset at being parted from him. The nurses have found he is the best one to undress me as he causes less trauma. No one is as gentle as he is.

I used to dread going shopping and had to go when the shops were quiet or people would bang into me and take my skin off with their bags or trolleys. Now I can go anytime as they give Edward more room and it protects me.

One day last November, Peter was in the garage and I started to choke. I gripped the sink and Edward let himself out into the conservatory and into the garden, barking his head off till Peter came in from the garage to help me. I was terrified.

In recognition of his valued work, Edward is paid £30 (€38.47) a week by the government. He saves them over £29,000 (€37,192) a year. I love Edward more than I ever thought I could. If Edward never worked again I could never part with him. I love him more than life itself. I hold his lead, he holds my heart.