Blue hair and a tattoo: Doncaster woman's backing for Support Dogs

From dyeing her hair ‘Support Dogs’ blue and getting a logo tattoo that covers her forearm, to tackling a 28-mile sponsored trek, Angela Cooke’s love for the assistance dogs charity that’s given her independence stems back at least 20 years.

Doncaster-based Angela was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was just 13.

This the led to further complications that have significantly affected her physical health and mobility for the past 40 years.

But the national Support Dogs charity - which trains and provides specialist assistance dogs to help autistic children, as well as adults with a physical disability and those affected by epilepsy, to live safer, more independent lives – has been her beacon of hope.

She recently graduated as a successful Support Dogs partnership with her third disability assistance dog, Bonbon.

Like pet lurcher cross Siân and yellow Lab Freya before her, Bonbon has been trained by Support Dogs to help her with a range of tasks.

These include picking objects up, opening doors, helping her to get undressed and giving an alert bark to fetch help.

Due to diabetes complications, Wales-born Angela, who lives in the Wheatley area of Doncaster, is registered partially-sighted and has problems with her hands and balance.

“It’s almost as if somebody puts a blanket of pain over you,” says Angela, who walks with two crutches and sometimes needs to use a wheelchair.

She discovered Support Dogs after seeing one of the blue jacket-clad wonderdogs in her GP surgery and looking them up online.

She qualified with Siân in 2010, when the pooch was around five years old and following two years of training.

A grateful Angela, who worked as a nursing home cook before becoming ill, volunteered doing general administration at the Support Dogs’ office to help show her appreciation.

Siân retired when she was 10 and Support Dogs provided her subsequent disability dog, Freya.

Angela was named Support Dogs’ Client Fundraiser of the Year 2017 after Angela, supported by husband Peter, son Daniel and carer Angie, completed 28 miles of the South Wales’ Taff Trail to mark Support Dogs’ 25th anniversary, raising almost £400 for the charity that transformed her life.

Freya retired in 2022 at the age of 11 and lives with a friend of Angela’s.

Angela’s current support dog, Bonbon, went to live with her in late 2023 and they put into practice everything they learned at Support Dogs’ training centre before graduating in November 2025.

“She’s so sharp,” said Angela. “If she sees something that needs doing, she will do it.”

Angela’s hair is dyed what she calls ‘Support Dogs blue’, which helps raise awareness of the life-changing cause.

“I’m proud of the charity,” said Angela. “I think they are a wonderful charity. They have given me so much support over the years.

“It’s all good quality people who provide good quality dogs and they are just brilliant.”

Angela admits that without Support Dogs, she may be in a much darker place.

“I would probably be in a permanent depression and I wouldn’t have been able to live day by day,” she said.

“But my dogs have provided so much joy and people love seeing them working.

“Daily they do a brilliant job and my life wouldn’t be worth living without them.”

To find out more about the incredible work of Support Dogs, please call 0114 2617800 or visit www.supportdogs.org.uk