Tell us a bit about you and your dog/s
I’m Yas, a 21 year old disabled university student and my sidekick is Simsim, my English Springer Spaniel assistance dog in training. We go everywhere together and having Simsim has meant that I have been able to live a semi-normal life and continue my degree despite the difficulties that I face in accessing the world.
Tell us a bit about your canicross experience so far…
Simsim and I are at the very beginning of our canicross journey. I am very unsteady on my feet so I currently use crutches when running and it has been an adjustment.
Tell us about how canicross has helped you and your dog/s and your biggest achievements
As a teenager, prior to developing my physical disabilities, I was quite sporty and would run multiple times a week. After developing mobility complications post-Covid I was barely able to walk, let alone run. With the forward momentum from Simsim in harness and my crutches, I’m able to run again and it feels incredible! It’s like I’m experiencing a freedom that was robbed from me over 2 and a half years ago. I still have a long way to go before I’m able to do this regularly but I’m hoping that the more we practice, the more I’ll be able to do.
What are your goals and plans for the future?
I would love to be able to do canicross regularly. I’m hoping to even build up the fitness to be able to run short distances without my crutches without causing a fatigue crash. Maybe if we get good enough as a team we could enter some competitions. I want to be the disability representation I needed when I was at my lowest!
