He's only seven-months-old, but Elton the dog is already proving himself to be a very good boy.
A much-loved assistance dog in training for seven-year-old Charlie Clode, from Bruce, Elton has just been named the People's Choice Award winner in the 2023 Australian Dog of the Year competition.
Elton is not only a great mate but a source of constant support for Charlie who has autism, an intellectual disability and a severe heart condition.
Charlie's mum Melissa Clode said Elton came to the family as a nine-week-old puppy, a Lacote Labrador chosen for his temperament as a potential assistance dog.
"Charlie's had over 120 hospital admissions and has already had two strokes and seven heart surgeries," she said.
"Elton has been with Charlie for some hospital admissions and is learning to help with seizures. He protects Charlie. What comforts Charlie is getting a big hug from Elton. He brings light to very hard times."
The Puppy Tales website, which is devoted to stories about the relationships between dogs and people, stages the awards to recognise dogs making an impact in the lives of people and communities.
Melissa said Elton was learning how to be an assistance dog under the direction of local trainer Jess McNamara. But he was already a source of comfort for Charlie, particularly in the aftermath of the little boy's regular seizures.
"Charlie will startle quite a bit when he has a seizure, he feels like he is falling, so he likes to have a really big close hug and Elton is able to do that," Melissa said.
"Elton has also alerted, and is learning how to alert, to Charlie's seizures. But during a seizure, Charlie stops breathing and he requires respiratory resuscitation, so he always carries oxygen and rescue meds with him. And we still have to have him on hospital monitoring just because every time he has a seizure, it's a critical event for Charlie.
"Elton provides back-up and has been welcomed into the [Canberra] Hospital right from when he was a nine-week-old puppy."
Elton will bark before one of Charlie's seizures, which helps everyone to prepare.
"For Charlie and Elton, the relationship is just a little boy and his dog. And it's as sweet as that," Melissa said.
"For me, Elton is part of the medical team around Charlie. Later, Elton will be carrying some of Charlie's equipment as well.
"As parents we go through a lot of trauma as well. We've had to say goodbye to Charlie a couple of times. I have to resuscitate him, give him mouth-to-mouth reasonably regularly. So having something as a sweet as a dog around, to provide extra support and be part of the team with me, it's really calming and comforting for all of us, not just Charlie."
In winning the People's Choice Award, Elton also secured a cash prize for the family's charity of choice, the Stella Bella Little Stars Foundation, which supports children living with serious and long-term illness . Melissa said it was lovely for Elton to be recognised in the awards, but so too the foundation.
"For us charities like Stella Bella are so much part of the local support that we get in the community here and a lot of what they do is unrecognised but it makes the difference," she said.
"And it is the reason children who are very sick and in hospital continue to have a childhood and families continue to get support."
Elton, named after Elton John as reference to his song Tiny Dancer, has also been training to be comfortable in different parts of the Canberra Hospital.
Charlie has to be admitted every time he has to go to hospital and has spent a lot of time in the emergency department.
"He sees a lot of adults in pain. We've had an adult pass away next to us in the hospital. So he hears all of that really traumatic stuff that you don't really like exposing a seven-year-old to and Elton will be there to also support him during his admission as well and the hospital has been really good with his training."
Charlie is a student at Malka School in Garran. Elton doesn't go to school with Charlie but the puppy is otherwise always helping Charlie to enjoy life.
"He's a lovely kid and a happy little kid," Melissa said.
"Elton even sleeps with Charlie, they do everything together."
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