How Lyra the labrador turned a Northampton wheelchair user's world around - from homebound to Crufts spotlight

Megan Green, 25, has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which affects joint hypermobility, and lost sensation in her legs six years ago.

She was forced to quit a nursing degree at the University of Northampton and admits she rarely left the house.

However, since welcoming three-year-old Golden Labrador Lyra in as an assistant dog, her life been turned upside down.

Megan is now studying for a PHD in molecular dynamics and was part of the para obedience display team at the world’s largest dog show.

“She's just absolutely improved my confidence. We're doing a lot more than we did before,” she said.

“We're just doing a lot more, we're getting out to clubs, we're going to shows that we probably wouldn't be doing without her.

“I am a lot more independent.

“She's now able to support me as either an assistance dog or just give me the confidence to go out and do it on my own.

“She fetched items for me, opens and closes doors, picks up things that I've dropped or gets them off like shelves.

“The only issue is she sometimes steals my phone just so she can come back and say, look, I found your phone, can I have a reward.”

Crufts is the world’s largest dog show, with up to 18,500 dogs expected through the doors across the four days.

Competitors come from far and wide, including WWE wrestler Dustin Rhodes, who travelled from USA to compete with his Mastiff, Beast.

Recently-crowned double Olympic champion Matt Weston and TV star Amanda Holden were also there on day one, while the weekend welcomed the likes of swimmer Ellie Simmonds and cycling legend Laura Kenny.

There are approximately 16.1 million disabled people in the UK, according to latest figures, while estimates suggest between 135,000 and 300,000 people in the UK have a diagnosed Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

“We wanted to show that life doesn’t stop if you have a disability,” Megan added.

“Dogs can save lives and training them can still be fun. We want to give a chance for people to still compete if they want to as well.

“We bridge the gap and give something to those that wanted to still compete in obedience but don’t have the ability to do it.

“A lot of obedience is very much outside on grass, which makes it a little bit more difficult for those with mobility problems. So we wanted to bring something that people could still compete in. Doors don’t have to close.”

Crufts, run by The Kennel Club, is a unique celebration of happy, healthy dogs and of the loving relationship that they enjoy with their owners.

Crufts was held from 5-8 March 2025 at the NEC Birmingham. Viewers can catch-up on all the action and highlights on Channel 4 and More4 online, and for further information and for future tickets visit crufts.org.uk.