By Alesha Capone
For former Werribee policeman Ron Fenton, his assistance dog Yogi is not only his best friend, but a life-saver.
Mr Fenton joined Victoria Police more than four decades ago. In 1984, he was shot in the head after pursuing a man who had murdered a security guard in Clayton.
Mr Fenton survived and returned to duty, joining Werribee police in 1996.
About four years ago, Mr Fenton developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
In 2017, Defence Community Dogs donated Yogi, a Labrador who has been trained and accredited as a PTSD assistance dog, to Mr Fenton.
Mr Fenton said Yogi had helped reduce his reliance on medication and psychology visits.
Yogi can also sense when Mr Fenton is having a nightmare and puts his paw on a pressure pad to turn on a lamp, to wake Mr Fenton.
“He’s an amazing dog,” Mr Fenton said. “He’s just a life-saver, all the way through.”
About three years ago, Mr Fenton launched a legal case against WorkSafe, Victoria Police and insurance company Gallaghar Bassett, for refusing to fund the cost of Yogi’s food and veterinary bills.
Mr Fenton started legal proceedings after WorkSafe rejected his claim for the insurance company to pay for Yogi’s needs, as a legitimate medical expense related to Mr Fenton’s workplace-induced PTSD.
Mr Fenton and his legal team, including lawyer Kathy Wilson from Melbourne Injury Lawyers, won an out-of-court settlement last month.
“I’m absolutely elated, I’m happy and very glad the battle is finally over,” Mr Fenton said.
He described the out-of-court settlement as “a better deal than I ever dreamed of”.
But Mr Fenton said the most important thing was that the case had set a legal precedent, which means that emergency services workers – such those in the CFA, paramedics or firefighters – who have a WorkCover-accepted PTSD claim related to their employment, will be able to claim expenses related to accredited assistance dogs.
Mr Fenton said during his 18 years in Werribee police, he had worked closely with other emergency services, and had wanted to achieve a win for everyone in the field.
“It was always my intention to make sure it (the legal battle) wasn’t just me, but for people in the past and people in the future as well,” he said.
Mr Fenton said the past month was “a big one” for him. Apart from the out-of-court settlement, his granddaughter was born.
Sadly, Mr Fenton was also diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and has been given only three to six months to live.
He said he is determined to fight on, as he hopes to fly to Spain – where his son lives – to visit his granddaughter, when pandemic travel restrictions are lifted.
Mr Fenton – who joked that he liked to prove doctors wrong – said he also did not want to leave Yogi.
“Along with my granddaughter, he was one of the main reasons I decided to keep fighting,” he said.
Mr Fenton’s final word of advice was for people who see an assistance dog out in public – who will usually be wearing a jacket – to not approach or pat the dog, without asking the owner first.
