Lady the assistance dog opens new worlds to Tauranga boy

Publisher: New Zealand Herald           Date: 10 Aug, 2016

Isaac Gray and Lady the labrador eye each other carefully as they meet each other for the first time.

Unknown to each other at that moment, they are destined to be best mates. Isaac, at first apprehensive of his new friend, approaches carefully. Slowly he gets up the courage to pat Lady gently on the head.

Lady is being trained as an assistance dog for Isaac, a bubbly 7-year-old, who suffered from a lack of oxygen at birth leaving him with cerebral palsy and global developmental delay.

“In all areas, he is delayed. How much that will progress we are not sure. We were told at birth he wouldn’t be doing any of this. But we have put a lot of effort into….