'TIL DEATH DO US BARK - A pair of pooches were taken on a special walk - down the aisle for their own WEDDING
Image by: Len Copland
An adorable pair of pooches were taken on a special walk - down the aisle for their own WEDDING.
Black retriever Fiji and golden retriever Dotty tied the knot in front of around 50 guests
in a marquee outside a pub.
The bash at the Prince of Wales pub, Stoke-sub-Hamdon, Somerset, had all the trappings of a human ceremony.
It included a specially-made dog-friendly cake, a dress and a guitarist to play the couple in.
The dogs walked down the aisle to 'All You Need is Love' by The Beatles and left to 'It Must Be Love' by Madness.
Pippa Hamilton, 60, who officiated the ceremony, said the doggy duo were "slightly all over the place".
Image by: Len Copland
Image by: Len Copland
Image by: Len Copland
Image by: Len Copland
She said: "My job is a celebrant and this idea of a dog wedding came up. I was hesitant to start with - in no way did I want to want to devalue what I do for couples.
"It was an unusual thing. I had never done anything like it before!
"But it highlights the need for love in everybody's lives. When you have love in your life your tail wags!
"The dogs were slightly all over the place, but the bride looked lovely. It was a wonderful thing to do. Apparently they are inseparable."
Pippa often officiates 'handfasting' ceremonies, a rural custom where you bind the newlywed's hands together with a ribbon to show unity.
She added: "I couldn't do that with the dogs yesterday, so I tied their leads together."
The event was organised by Amanda Reed, from Saville Row Hounds, a bespoke dog clothing shop.
Amanda, 59, said: "They retrievers won a competition. We chose them because they were so beautiful.
"The dogs have been friends for a long time and the owners thought it was ideal.
"I made a wedding coat for the female with flowers around her neck. The groom had a bow tie on.
"It was all done in a beautiful gazebo with chairs [for the guests] - someone played the guitar too."
WHAT A BALLS OP - A dad has waived his anonymity and spoken out as hospital bosses admitted a series of failings in a damning report after an op that led him to lose a TESTICLE
Image by: Newsquest The Mail Cumbria
A dad has waived his anonymity and spoken out as hospital bosses admitted a series of failings in a damning report after an op that led him to lose a TESTICLE.
Bill Murray, 62, underwent a routine procedure at Furness General Hospital, Cumbria, in April to remove swelling from his scrotum.
The supposedly simple operation to drain the swollen testicle was carried out by consultant urologist Ashutosh Jain.
But, after the op, the dad-of-two woke up to find a vacuum drain had been inserted and left underneath the skin.
Bill said this was not checked or emptied for 24 hours.
Just two days later, in excruciating pain with the swelling having grown and his testicle now black and gangrenous, Bill, from Walney Island, asked to see a doctor and he was rushed back into theatre by a different surgeon.
When he woke up, he was shocked to see his right testicle was missing - as he claims he hadn't been told exactly what he was going back into theatre for.
The procedure, known as a hydrocele repair, typically takes around 30 minutes and rarely results in complications.
Although patients can usually go home on the same day as a hydrocele repair op, Bill had to stay in hospital for 12 days.
His first operation was carried out by under-fire consultant urologist Ashutosh Jain who has been responsible for other errors leading to patient harm and in two cases contributed to patient deaths.
Two other consultant urologists at the hospital - Kavinder Madhra and Muhammad Naseem - have also been responsible for errors over the last 18 years.
Mr Madhra resigned in October 2018 while Mr Naseem remains at the trust where he is clinical lead of the urology department.
It was only when Bill complained that the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust launched an investigation and has this week handed him a damning Root Cause Analysis.
Image by: Newsquest The Mail Cumbria
The report reveals:
The serious incident by the second surgeon who discovered Bill's testicle was gangrenous.
There was a missed opportunity to do a bladder scan when Bill complained of pain and an inability to urinate.
He was not advised of the risks of the operation.
Policy wasn't followed in escalating Bill to the medical team when he began experiencing pain and other complications.
Finally, medical records from doctors’ assessments and ward rounds have since ‘gone missing’.
To Bill's further ‘disgust’ he has discovered the investigation was led by Mr Naseem.
He said: “I can’t believe they would allow one of the other highly-criticised urologists to be involved in the investigation into what happened to me.
“I’m absolutely disgusted. I hold the surgeon Mr Jain fully responsible for all this.”
UHMBT medical director Dr Shahedal Bari said: “We are very sorry for the distress the patient suffered, and for the length of time it has taken to complete this investigation.
“We have shared our findings with the patient and will remain in touch with him. We would be happy to meet the patient to discuss any concerns.
“An investigation like this involves committees chaired by UHMBT executives and our governance team who are not related to the clinical care.
"This process is governed by trust policies aligned with national guidelines.
"To ensure impartial discussion senior clinicians (Doctors, Nurses) and managers outside the departments are involved in checking (as a standard practice for any RCA).
“The process is not completed yet as an external review will be considered and team lessons will be discussed, in particular around improving record keeping and not missing opportunities to scan patients in this situation.”
BULL DOZER - Couple woke up to find a BULL had wandered into their garden - ramming their bin & pooing on the patio before laying down for a snooze
Image by: Joshua Bambridge
A couple woke up to find a massive BULL had wandered into their garden - ramming their bin, pooing on the patio then laying down and sleeping for an hour.
The bovine - weighing nearly a tonne - smashed through the garden fence from its adjoining field.
The weighty animal trampled all over the lawn, headbutted the wheelie bin, left "hoof shaped pot holes" on the grass and splattered poo over the patio.
The beast - named Arnold after US actor Arnold Schwarzenegger - eventually decided to lay down for a nap.
It left the homeowners, from Raunds, Northamptonshire, enough time to call the farmer and for him to be taken away.
The homeowner said: "I had just gone downstairs to make a hot drink.
"I looked out of the kitchen window and I just couldn't believe my eyes.
"My first thought was 'F*** Arnold's in the garden.
Image by: Joshua Bambridge
Image by: Joshua Bambridge
Image by: Joshua Bambridge
Image by: Joshua Bambridge
"I called my fiancée over and she told me to 'Shut up' because we had joked about it before.
"She was petrified. It was a moment of panic.
"I didn't think it was wise to go outside it as it was probably really distressed.
"I managed to get through to the farmer and he was 40 minutes away.
"So we just sat and watched as he tore up the garden basically.
"I had been doing up the garden over the summer but he's completely ruined my turf!
"There are hoof marks on the lawn now that look like pot holes.
"We've decided to call him Arnold because he's really big built just like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"As soon as the farmer arrived he calmed down a bit as he seemed pretty familiar with him.
"We've been living here 18 months and have seen the odd sheep outside the house.
"But needless to say, we've never had a surprise like that on a weekend."
A gym addict was given the all-clear from pelvic cancer from the NHS despite having secondary tumours in her spine - that were found when she had a PRIVATE scan
Image by: Dan Rowlands SWNS
A gym addict told she was cancer-free by NHS doctors was stunned to find she was riddled with secondary tumours just a month later when she had a private MRI scan.
Super-fit Gemma Sisson, 38, says medics MISSED the tumours in a three separate scans taken in the seven months AFTER she was given the all-clear.
Her last NHS scan, which revealed no cancer, was taken just a month before her private one.
Now Gemma, who has been told she is terminally ill, is calling for better NHS screening for all cancer sufferers.
Her ordeal began in the summer of 2017 when a lump she discovered in her groin was diagnosed in March 2018 as pelvic cancer.
After chemotherapy sessions at the Leeds Cancer Centre, attached to St James's University Hospital, she was given the all-clear in January this year.
A final series of scans were taken and in July it was confirmed she was cancer-free.
But shockingly, after complaining to a physiotherapist about pain in her neck and back she had suffered since March this year she was advised to pay £330 for a private MRI scan.
To her horror it revealed that she had secondary tumours in her neck, back, liver and stomach.
Gemma said: "Obviously I wasn't all-clear.
"I had a final, bigger CT scan from the NHS in July to check the cancer had gone.
"They missed small tumours that had developed in my stomach and they did not scan far up enough to spot the cancer at the top of my spine - they missed it by millimetres."
Gemma has now started a petition calling for thorough checks for the life-threatening illness before patients are told they are cancer-free.
It has so far attracted almost 50,000 signatures with many contributors telling their own horror stories of how they did not find other cancers until it was too late.
Gemma, who now has a collapsed spine, feels lucky to have at least found her secondary cancer before she became completely paralysed, but feels it could have been detected earlier.
Her diagnosis came after a private physiotherapist she was seeing for chronic back and neck pain told her she ought to have a scan as what she was suffering was not normal.
The scan she paid £330 for in August - just one month after her last NHS scan - revealed cancer in her spine had eaten away at two and a half vertebrae.
Image by: Dan Rowlands SWNS
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Dan Rowlands SWNS
Image by: Dan Rowlands SWNS
The scan showed the tumours growing on her spine, liver and her stomach, and Gemma was dealt the heartbreaking blow that they were secondary cancer and incurable.
Project manager Gemma said: "I was given the all-clear in January and was having three monthly scans after that.
"At my last scan in July they decided I could now switch to yearly scans.
"I dread to think how bad I would have become waiting another year for a scan."
About her neck and back pain, Gemma said: "I never connected the two.
"I was going to my GP and was getting very strong pain killers but it did not enter my head that it could be anything to do with cancer.
"Unfortunately, nobody else - including a chiropractor and medics at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) A&E - made the connection either or even looked any further to investigate my back pain.
"When I went for private physio care, the pyshiotherapist told me straight away that I ought to go for a scan on my neck to see what was going on - the pain was so severe I had to pick my own head up to get up in the morning.
"He had worked at the LGI in the spinal injuries unit for several years, and he literally saved my life and stopped me being paralysed."
Gemma underwent major surgery at the LGI on her spine, which took seven hours, during which they removed the tumours and collapsed vertebrae and relieved pressure on her spinal cord.
At this stage doctors are unable to give Gemma a prognosis, but it is uncurable.
Gemma will undergo chemotherapy every three weeks from now until the cancer ultimately takes her life.
So far the pain has improved but she has good and bad days.
At the moment her only form of exercise is to go out for walks.
Gemma said: "I am very fit and healthy, I eat well and exercise, I've never smoked and don't drink to excess, sadly I think this possibly went against me as I was ill.
"Even I didn't think this could happen to me."
Gemma, who lives in Leeds, but comes from Bridlington, East Yorks., is now hoping to make a difference to others and show how important it is to have better investigation - and possibly full-body scans - before giving the all-clear.
While she campaigns she is also trying to make the most of her life.
She has got back together with her ex, gym owner Ricky Moore, 39, who she dated for 14 years before breaking up in December 2017.
Gemma's friends Rachael Harrison and Sarah Brown started up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for her to cover rent and day-to-day expenses - and tick off some activities on her bucket list - now she is no longer able to work, which has already raised almost £15,000.
To donate to Gemma's page, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/fundraising-for-gemma.
To sign Gemma's petition go to: Change.org/fullbodycheck
Dr Yvette Oade, Chief Medical Officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said:
“Full body scans are offered to cancer patients where it is appropriate and there is
clinical evidence to support this, in order to assess the patient’s response to
treatment.
"Unfortunately there is never a guarantee, even if there is no evidence of active
disease after treatment, that the cancer will not recur in another area of the body.”
Teenage girl who grew up with bowlegs is going back to school for the first time in a decade after charity offered corrective surgery
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
These incredible before and after photos show the transformation of a teenager who had surgery on her extremely bowed legs.
Valerie, 14 - who the charity refuse to fully name - developed bowed legs at the age of four and had such low self confidence, she begged to be pulled out of school.
She joined her uncle's tailoring shop as an apprentice and worked hard, despite her extremely bent legs which arched out, making it difficult for her to walk.
The talented seamstress was sewing when a customer told her a hospital boat operated by charity Mercy Ships has docked near her home in Cotonou, Benin, in West Africa.
Valerie boarded the charity's ship Africa Mercy and was one of 76 children and teenagers to receive free surgery during the boat's 10-month stint.
Her bow-leggedness was corrected with surgery and physical therapy and now she can walk and run and is planning to return to school.
Valerie said: "I was desperate to learn how to read. A friend onboard gave me a few alphabet pages for me to trace - and the next day I told her I needed more to read!
"I was very happy. I told myself - 'I no longer want to be a seamstress! I want to go back to school!'
"Not long after then, my legs were strong enough for me to go home. School will be great. People will say - 'is this the same girl? Her legs are straight'!"
Bow-leggedness is a deformity marked by outward bowing at the knee, which gives the limb the appearance of an archer's bow.
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
The chief cause is rickets, but it can also be caused by skeletal problems, infections, and tumours.
Valerie did not wish to disclose the cause of her condition.
During Valerie's knee operation, surgeons removed a wedge of bone from the outside of both her knees, causing her legs to bend inward.
After general anesthetic was administered, a five-inch incision was made down the front and outside of her knees.
Guide wires were drilled into the top of the shin bones from the outside of the knees, before an oscillating saw was run along those wires, removing most of the bone wedge.
The tops of Valerie's shin bones were then lowered on the outside and attached with surgical screws, before her tissue was stitched back together.
One of five daughters, Valerie was in post-surgery rehab for about four months, during which she learned to read.
Mercy Ships operates the largest non-governmental hospital ship in the world, providing humanitarian aid for terminally-ill patients.
It has operated in more than 57 developing nations and 18 developed nations around the world, with a current focus on African countries.
A five-year-old leukaemia patient is heading to Singapore with his parents after kindhearted members of the public donated £500,000 for potentially life-saving treatment
Image by: Olivia Saxelby
A five-year-old kid is heading to Singapore with his parents after kindhearted members of the public donated £500,000 to fund leukaemia treatment.
Oscar Saxelby-Lee will have CAR-T treatment after the community helped raise the funds to cover the cost of the treatment, which is not currently available on the NHS.
He will make the trip with his parents “in the next few days” following the successful crowdfunding campaign to pay for the potentially life-saving treatment.
Oscar’s mum Olivia Saxelby said: “Oscar is continuing to fight, but his disease hasn’t responded greatly to treatment in the UK involving a top up of donor cells he was given.
“It kept his disease level down to an extent, but it’s not what we had wished.
“It’s taken a few days to come to decision, not only because of the results, but the difficulty in knowing whether each option will cure him.
“All we want to do is the ‘right’ thing by our baby. So in the next few days we shall be on the plane to Singapore.
“We are scared, we are petrified, we just don’t know if this is the best option, but what we do know is Oscar was given this chance, and we must go for it before it’s too late.”
Oscar, from Worcester, first made headlines when more than 10,000 people responded to a plea for potential stem cell donors after doctors gave him three months to find a match.
After a match was found, Oscar’s parents Olivia, 26, and Jamie, 23, hoped it was the first step to curing their son who has a rare T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
But they were left devastated when they discovered the disease had returned despite Oscar's stem cell transplant this spring.
They suffered further heartache when they were told the NHS would not fund a second transplant or a potentially new cell therapy treatment.
The desperate couple launched a fundraising drive to raise £500,000 needed to send Oscar to Singapore for the CAR-T trial.
Image by: Olivia Saxelby
Image by: Olivia Saxelby
Image by: David Dunbar
Image by: Newsquest Worcester News
Image by: Olivia Saxelby
The campaign to raise half a million pounds to fund a specialist treatment for the brave five-year-old boy was one of the fastest online charity appeals, taking just three weeks.
In a post on their Facebook page, the family said: “Often we sit, no talk is needed, no eye contact is needed, just tears. Just that time to grieve.
“It’s not often but it happens. It happens because all we wish for is a ‘normal’, happy life without our baby suffering.
“Being strong, remaining positive is absolutely our way of coping but sometimes we do have to be realistic.
“All we want to do is the ‘right’ thing by our baby. Yet that is not something that you can’t determine during these traumatic times.”
Dr Jen Kelly, director of the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust said: “The team at the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust are proud to have been able to help support Oscar Saxelby-Lee and his parents, Olivia and Jamie through the most incredible fundraising campaign.
“We would like to wish them the very best of luck on this next step of their journey and to say we are rooting for Oscar all the way.
“The funds are ready, but we are currently working hard to sort the final details for the funding of Oscar’s treatment and are awaiting on the final paperwork from Singapore before transfers can take place.
“When this is received, we will be ready and waiting.
“Thank you so much to the people of Worcestershire for working together to help us give this wonderful little boy this chance.
“Grace’s legacy was a wish to help other children, and we are so proud to have been able to help support Oscar’s family in this way.
“We will continue to be in close contact with the family, helping where ever we can.”
Mum praises kind stranger who brought emotional son home after he lost his football bag - then gave family £100 to buy replacement kit
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
A mum-of-three was left in tears when a kind stranger brought her distraught son home after he lost his football bag - and then gave the family £100 to replace the lost kit.
Sarah Sims said her son, Ashton Cayton, nine, was left "sobbing his heart out" as he desperately ran around in the rain on Saturday, trying to find his bag with all his football kit in.
She said a kind stranger walking her dog in the park took pity on Ashton and brought him home - but then, unbeknownst to the family, went back to the park to carry on looking for the bag.
And when the woman could not find Ashton's lost belongings, she returned to Sarah's house and slipped a note through the door - with £100 enclosed for replacement kit.
Fitness instructor Sarah, from Barry, south Wales, says she was moved to tears by the kind gesture - and now wants to find the Good Samaritan and thank her properly.
The single mum said: "She turned up at my house like a fairy godmother.
"Not only did she bring my upset son home, she went back out to try to find his football stuff, then wrote that wonderful letter and gave money.
"Ashton said he was freezing, soaking wet, running round crying his eyes out, trying to find his bag.
"With me being a recently single mum, my kids know the value of money, and he was so upset and worried how we would replace his stuff, especially his new trainers.
"This was just a beautiful gesture and we are so grateful. Such a beautiful random act of kindness that was so selfless it had me in tears," Sarah added.
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
The kind stranger's note was slipped through Sarah's letterbox as she was bathing her children Frazer Cayton, 11, Ashton, nine, and daughter Cali Cayton, six.
It read: "To the little boy who lost his bag - hi, I looked for your bag but could not find it (sorry!).
"I remember when I was little and I lost something. I was so upset and we had no money to replace it either. Mum and I looked everywhere.
"I hope that you get a new pair of football boots. Here is £100 for you and mum towards replacements.
"Work hard in school and do something nice for someone."
The note is signed from "The lady and her dog".
Sarah said: "Everything about it is simply beautiful. I am so grateful for this generous selfless act and for teaching my kids a wonderful lesson."
Ashton, who plays for Park Lions football club in Barry, now wants to put the money towards replacing his football bag, boots, and shin pads.
But Sarah added: "He also wants to do something for charity. He said he wants to help the homeless as it must be awful for them to be outdoors in this weather.
"Ashton is the most loyal boy, he is so kind and caring and will do anything for me and his siblings.
"This note deserves to be shared for this wonderful person to get the recognition she deserves."
When asked what he would say to the woman, Ashton said: "Thank you very much for that money, and thanks for searching for my bag."
One of UK's youngest transgender children starts her transitioning journey aged 13...after realising she was in 'wrong body' aged just THREE
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
A 12-year-old who is one of Britain’s youngest transgender children has started transitioning - after realising she was born in the ‘wrong body’ aged just THREE.
Ash Lammin is, biologically-speaking, a boy.
But her mum says she insisted that she was a girl as soon as she could speak.
Terri Lammin, 43, said that watching her daughter - who was born Ashton - grow up confused and upset by her body was “heartbreaking”.
She said: “Although she was born male, from the moment she could speak Ash insisted she was a girl.
“By age five, she was asking ‘when is someone going to chop my winky off?’ - and questioning why she had it at all.”
Family photos from Ash’s upbringing therefore mask a very difficult period for the family, who live near Ramsgate in Kent.
In one, Ash is splashing around in a bath, wearing a sparkly mermaid’s swimming costume and looking like an average three-year-old girl - obsessed with pink and wearing a princess dress, the sort of thing that’s usually seen at birthday parties.
But, Terri revealed, the only reason she was wearing her swimming costume in the bath was to hide her body - which had dismayed her from an early age.
Ash says that it has been difficult growing up as a trans girl, but says she feels that she is firmly on the right path.
She said: “The journey is long and it’s still going, but I feel like the sense of victory is there through it all.
"I do feel accepted sometimes, but other times not.
"Not everyone is going to understand and people have to have their own opinions and I understand that. Some people might not like the idea of trans.
"I hope I inspire others but I just hope that love and acceptance comes through everything."
According to her mum, Ash is the perfect example of a child who has been born in the wrong body.
Now, aged almost 13, she is embarking on a lengthy journey to transition her gender from male to female at an NHS-run clinic - and is one of the youngest in the country to do so.
Ash - who changed her name by deed poll to Ashley when she was eight - will start by taking hormone blockers to halt the onset of puberty.
She has researched the process incessantly - and eventually wants a womb transplant so that she can be a mother when she’s older.
While some critics have accused Terri of taking drastic decisions on behalf of a child who is too young to know better, she points out that Ash will take the blockers until she is 18.
At that point, she herself will decide whether to go ahead with gender reassignment surgery.
If she decides not to go ahead with it, Ash will come off the blocker - and her puberty will kick in just a few years later than her peers.
Terri said: “I never thought it was a phase, Ash was just Ash.
"When she was three she said to me, ‘I’m a boy because you gave me a boy’s name - it’s your fault.’
“I remember feeling horrible, because she blamed me. I personally thought maybe this was what an extremely camp gay man is like as a child.
"I'd never come across it before and I just went along with it. I just thought 'if he's happy, well that's the main thing.'"
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
But Terri, who has seven other children, said that life became much harder when Ash started at primary school.
She said: “I sent her to school in a boy’s uniform. I felt awful, she didn’t want to wear it and I was making her.
"The school were great. The headmaster at the time said 'if you think it's going to make life easier then bring Ash in a girl's uniform', so I did.
"I was in a right state. I thought 'everybody is going to think I'm weird' - but Ash loved it, she found it easy.
"Before, when I was taking her into school, she was biting me and kicking me, she didn't want to go in.
"As soon as she put the girl's uniform on, she wanted to go every day."
Despite the school’s willingness to help and the kindness of Ash’s classmates, Terri says that other parents were very difficult - leaving her out of social events and complaining that Ash was using the girls’ toilets.
She added: "When Ash was Ashton, she was invited to all the kids' parties, even though she used to turn up in a princess dress.
"The parents didn't mind then. But as soon as I let her be Ashley all the time, for a whole year she didn't get invited to one party.
"The kids were fine; it's not the children, kids play with anybody. It's not until an adult comes in and says you shouldn't do that then it changes."
When Ash turned 11 and went to secondary school, she became a target for bullies who would throw things at her on the bus and shout ‘tranny’ at her - forcing Terri to take her out of the school after just one term.
Ash is now being home-schooled, and Terri is calling for better education within schools to teach children about transgender people.
She said: "I'd like to see the subject of transgender people included in some lessons, like there are about same-sex families.
“There needs to be more about liking people for who they are, not what they are."
Ash suffers from anxiety and, her mum said, has openly claimed that she wants to die.
Terri said: “Some days she says ‘I’m so glad I’m me’, but other days she feels terrible. She asks why it has to happen to her and she hates herself.
“I tell her that some people are born with one leg, and they have to deal with it. I question whether it was a chromosome disorder that led to this - I would like to know why it happened.”
"She is so inspirational. She could easily have said 'I'll just be a boy' but she feels so strongly about who she is she accepts the difficulties.
"But it's a lot for a child to deal with."
A vulnerable man prescribed an 'emotional support companion dog' by his doctor has been taken to court - to face eviction from his home for having a 'pet'
Image by: James Dadzitis SWNS
A vulnerable man has been hauled to court and faces eviction over his medically prescribed 'emotional support companion dog' - despite doctors demanding he be allowed to keep it.
Christopher Palmer, 63, has suffered years of depression, anxiety and mental health problems - leaving him socially isolated with suicidal tendencies.
But things changed when Christopher's doctor prescribed him an emotional support and mental wellness animal companion - a beagle called Tammy in December 2018.
Despite Christopher's pet being prescribed by a doctor, when Plymouth Community Homes found out, they ordered the dog had to be rehomed.
And if he refuses, Christopher will have to move out of his home of eight years.
The landlord said Christopher is in breach of his tenancy agreement which states he is not permitted to keep a dog as he lives in a high rise flat, according to their pet policy.
The housing association took him to Plymouth County Court this week (26th) in a bid to evict him over an alleged a breach of a tenancy injunction.
But a judge gave the man and his dog a stay of execution - saying they could carry on living together until another hearing in January.
There is a section in Plymouth Community Homes Pets Policy that explains pets are allowed if they are medically prescribed.
PCH said they would rehome them - but Christopher's GP says moving him would make his condition worse.
Christopher has been fighting to save his dog since February - leaving him feeling house bound, struggling to communicate with others and not eating properly.
Speaking after the hearing Christopher, of Plymouth, Devon said: "Without Tammy I would not be able to get out of the house.
''I need to have her 24 hours a day. I suffer panic attacks and anxiety so I need to have her with me.
"PCH should not be able to treat people with mental health the way they do.
''They should treat people with a bit of respect. I cannot move to a new place as I have friends in the building who support me.
''If they moved me somewhere else I would not know anybody. My neighbours all agree that this is disgusting. Tammy has not been any trouble at all.
''There have not been any complaints. I just don't understand it. They allow deaf dogs, so why not her?
"I have got a bit of encouragement from the judge. I had stopped eating as I was so anxious - but hopefully I can start again. She seemed to care."
Christopher cared for a pet rabbit since 2013 who helped provide him comfort, but when his rabbit died late last year, his mental health deteriorated without a companion.
Dr Michaela Stoffregen prescribed the Tammy - and she also wrote letters to Plymouth Community Homes in defence of Christopher keeping Tammy.
In multiple letters Dr Stroffregen writes: "The dog is very important for [Christopher's] mental health and reduces his anxiety and loneliness.
"I think it would be quite cruel to take the dog away from him and equally he wouldn't be able to cope well with finding a new place.
"He has severe mental health issues and his dog keeps him stable.
"I strongly advise that everything possible has to be done to let Christopher keep his little dog, as it is a lifeline for him.
"A move would be disastrous to his mental health in my opinion. He has already expressed suicidal thought about this situation.
"I am extremely concerned about his mental state and taking away his dog will likely worsen his suicidal thoughts and might well tip him over the edge."
Image by: James Dadzitis SWNS
Image by: James Dadzitis SWNS
Image by: James Dadzitis SWNS
There is a section in Plymouth Community Homes Pets Policy that explains pets are allowed if they are medically prescribed.
It states: "By definition, Assistance Dogs are not pets and are therefore excluded from the main provisions of this policy.
"By Assistance Dogs, we mean dogs that have been trained specifically to assist people with a disability, such as sight or hearing loss, restricted mobility, autism or post traumatic stress disorder.
"For all other disability needs, where pet-ownership has been identified as a therapeutic
aid, we will consider requests for ‘reasonable adjustments’ to be made as part of an overall needs assessment."
At the court hearing solicitor Vincent Davis, representing Plymouth Community Homes, said the tenant was "in breach of his tenancy for keeping a dog in the property."
He added: "This is also in breach of the landlord's pet policy."
He said the tenant should be required to remove the dog "within seven days of servicing the injunction order."
He said the agreement was clear that he should not keep any dog or cat in the property on a temporary of permanent basis.
He added: "The defendant acquired the dog contrary to terms of his tenancy agreement and to the pet's policy.
"This is to not keep any animal in a sheltered flat with the exception of a small case of birds or fish.
"It is common ground that the defendant does have a dog. This has been going on for some time, since February. He has been offered the choice between re-homing the dog, or moving to an alternative premises that has its own garden.
"Most tenants would jump to move from a multi-storey block to their own garden but Mr Palmer has not engaged with that.
"Various efforts have been made but he has not engaged with the process. This is a long standing policy that was adopted in 2011/2012. The reasons why you cannot keep pets in a high rise flat is the nuisance it causes to other neighbours.
"We recognise the benefits to having a pet but to have one in such close proximity to others causes problems with urine and faeces in communal areas."
He also highlighted the problem it could cause during any evacuation procedure.
He added: "There is good reason why it is written into the tenancy agreement."
But Judge Vanessa Priddis said: ''"If Mr Palmer was blind and had a guide dog would we say the same?"
"He is disabled and ten minutes to deal with and make a decision on this is not fair. There are technical and legal issues to consider.
"I have to consider his mental state and if he understands that. This has been on-going since February and I need time to take proper advice.
''We don't want to rush it. I am not going to sacrifice dealing with the case fairly for speed."
She then addressed Mr Palmer and told him: "I know this has been very distressing for you.''
One of his neighbours, who accompanied him to court, said: "The housing association may think they are legally right, but they are morally extremely wrong.
''I am a neighbour and there has never been any problem with the dog. She is very well behaved and there have never been any issues.
"No one has complained so why are they doing this to him?"
The case will resume on 9 January 2020 for a full hour hearing to look at aspects around the equalities act and how they correlate with Christopher's case.
A man was hospitalised for three months and lost the use of his legs - after a PARASITE crawled up his penis when he was swimming in a lake
Image by: James Michael
A traveller spent three months in hospital and lost the use of his legs after taking a dip in a lake - when a parasitic worm swam up his penis.
James Michael, 32, went swimming in Lake Malawi in southeastern Africa with pals two years ago, but had no idea and had no idea a parasitic worm had burrowed into his privates.
The parasitic worm laid eggs inside him, which slowly made him so ill his immune system went into overdrive, and attacked his spine.
The marketer was hospitalised for three months while medics fought to get the infection - bilharzia - under control, giving him only a 30 per cent chance of a full recovery.
But after a stint in a wheelchair, suffering digestion and toilet problems, and using crutches for four months he has finally made a full recovery.
James, from Kensington, central London, said: "When I look back at photos from my time in Africa, it's weird to think that's where the parasite crawled up my penis.
"That wasn't exactly how I imagined the trip of a lifetime with my friends going - the whole experience was surreal and strange.
"Plotting a line, it was like going straight from a paradise beach to a hospital bed, almost incapacitated and helpless.
"This journey has made me definitely think more about my health and about how I look after myself - like reading up on health risks when I travel.
"I would urge anyone thinking of getting into Lake Malawi not to.
"It's just not worth the potential risks of a little worm climbing in your body through your parts. It's a grotesque, sickening thought.
"This has been horrendous. It's felt like a never-ending mountain I've had to climb."
James went on the "trip of a lifetime" to Africa with three mates back in August 2017.
They travelled from Zambia to Zimbabwe, before visiting Malawi for five days.
The group of three swam and canoed for three hours a day every day in Lake Malawi - before jetting back to the UK.
"Even though I contracted the infection then, nothing happened and I was able to leave for home thinking nothing was wrong," he said.
In October 2018 James began to notice a loss of feeling in both his legs, and initially thought it was fatigue from cycling.
"I supposed it was just from the exercise, so didn't worry about it," he said.
"But the feeling of fatigue never shifted, and actually got worse that month."
But it got worse over the course of a few weeks, until it was taking him five minutes to climb up 15 steps to his flat.
Image by: James Michael
Image by: James Michael
Image by: James Michael
He went to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in November 2018 when he woke up sweating uncontrollably, and started to worry he had MS or motor neurone disease.
Worried James was given antibiotics and sent home, but still felt terrible, and a week later, with the loss of feeling increasing went back to hospital.
"I explained to them that something serious was going on," he said.
"I went to the neurology department, and they did blood tests to see what was up.
"They determined quite quickly that my immune system was attacking my spine, leading to the loss of control of my legs.
"I was put on a six-month course of steroids to counter this, but they didn't actually know what had caused this."
Tests revealed his immune system was attacking his spine, and he eventually totally lost the use of his legs due to a combination of pain and loss of feeling.
Doctors from the Hospital For Tropical Diseases told panicked James that a parasitic worm had crawled up his penis and laid eggs in his body.
A week before Christmas he was diagnosed with bilharzia - an infection caused by a parasitic worm which lives in fresh water in subtropical and tropical regions - and given suitable medication.
He said: "That killed the infection but I was left basically debilitated.
"They told me there was a 30 per cent chance I'd make a full recovery - ten years from now.
"It was a horrible feeling - I felt completely helpless, and the odds weren't good. I couldn't wish what I've been through on anybody."
He had to spend three months in hospital using a wheelchair, then four months on crutches, until April.
He also had to deal with extreme acne caused by steroids, diarrhoea, and using a catheter because he couldn't use the loo.
James said: "The pain has been like nothing I've ever know. At times, it has been an excruciating physical pain that's been debilitating.
"Early in my recovery - sometime in January - I had a really terrible acne outbreak that went all down my back and down my arms.
"I couldn't sleep for a month because lying on my back hurt. I couldn't really be under running water either, so I had to shower my front instead.
"The loss of feeling and use of my legs affected every part of my life. I wasn't able to exercise much because of the infection, which was hard.
"In January, I couldn't use the toilet normally, so had to use a catheter. That was quite embarrassing for me because it's not something you associate with young guys.
James also lost his appetite and struggled to maintain a sex life with his girlfriend.
He said: "My girlfriend couldn't hug me because just to touch me hurt and we've not been intimate with each other because it's just too painful for me.
"I'll certainly think twice before taking a dip in Lake Malawi."
