"The most decorated dog in the world"
Labrador's feats of skill,
bravery still celebrated
Allen Parton came back from his stint in the Royal Navy during the Gulf War in a wheelchair.
He couldn't walk or speak. He lost 50 percent of his memory and it was difficult for him to create new memories.
But in the late 1990s, he was paired up with a beautiful yellow Lab he named Endal. Endal had a painful joint condition that almost eliminated him from service dog work but Endal's superior problem solving abilities earned him a place.
During their 10 years together, Endall learned hundreds of signs to tell him to get Parton's hat, razor, or get something from the supermarket shelves. But that was before Endal taught Parton to talk by celebrating every time Parton made a grunt.
Endal knew how to operate an ATM, put the card in (either chip or reader), the only dog known to have accomplished this.
Endal's most celebrated moment was when "Allen was knocked out of his wheelchair by a passing car outside a hotel. Endal pulled Allen into the recovery position, retrieved his mobile phone from beneath the car, retrieved a blanket from the upturned wheelchair and covered him, alert barked at a nearby hotel for assistance with no result, and then ran to the hotel to obtain help," according to Wikipedia.
In 2009, suffering from debilitating arthritis, Endal taught a new Lab puppy his skills. Endal suffered a stroke and was euthanized that year.
