Family of five-year-old girl with special needs left devastated by loss of her hero, Charlie the Great Dane

The family of a five-year-old girl with special needs has been left devastated following the sudden death of their great Dane. Charlie, an award-winning great Dane, died as a result of a twisted gut. He had developed an extraordinary protective bond with Brianna Lynch.

His life-saving exploits have been featured in national and international media after the Clare Champion first revealed how he could detect when Brianna, who suffers from epilepsy and has autism spectrum disorder, was going to have an epileptic fit about 20 minutes before each episode.

Brianna’s mother, Arabella, says she and her husband Brian and the whole family have been left “devastated” by the death of Charlie.