A CHEPSTOW woman, who was determined to give something back to the charity that provided her late partner with a disability dog, is preparing a puppy to become an assistance dog for them.

Nicole Cross, 40, first became involved with the national charity that trains dogs to help people with disabilities after her late partner Gareth had to use a wheelchair following a horrific road accident back in 1995.

The couple met while Gareth was being treated in the former Duke of Cornwall Hospital’s spinal unit where Nicole was working as a nurse and they later moved to Caldicot in 1996.

Gareth was the first person in Wales to receive an assistance dog through Canine Partners and the retriever puppy, Hero, was to become his faithful assistance dog until his death, in 2009, at just 43, as a result of his spinal injuries.

Hero, who is now 13, even won an all-star animal award for bravery after he saved his owner’s life back in 2001.

During a walk in Caldicot, Gareth’s wheelchair became stuck in mud in a remote, area and with a flat battery on his mobile phone, he had no way of alerting anyone to his predicament.

Cleverly, he tied Hero’s rope toy to his chair and his determined companion pulled on the rope until he pulled Gareth to safety.

Nicole said: “What Hero did for Gareth was amazing.

As soon as we got Hero as a little ball of blond fluff, the two of them got on like a house on fire and were practically inseparable.”

She added: “I really wanted to do something worthwhile and so I approached Canine Partners about becoming a puppy walker.

“They were very keen, so at the end of last year, another little ball of blond fluff, Zeva, arrived at my home and I am now training her to again become the only CP dog in Wales.”