The number of British troops injured in afghanistan who are applying for assistance dogs has contributed to a severe shortage of the trained animals.
The dogs are trained to help with a range of practical tasks both inside and outside the home, like switching on lights, fetching the phone, picking up items from the floor, unloading the washing machine, collecting the post, and flushing the toilet.
Cerebral Palsy sufferer Lorna Marsh, 34, was unable to do any of these things until Canine Partners matched her with Eli.
Eli – a cross between a Labrador and a Golden Retriever – carries out approximately 306 different tasks for Lorna, and his training has been specifically tailored to her needs.
Ms Marsh told Sky News: “He's my best friend. He's the door to independence, to a level I never thought I was going to reach. He means the absolute world to me because he means I can do more stuff on my own, which, as a disabled person, is gold dust.
“I never thought I'd be able to do half the stuff I'm doing and I never thought I'd be able to feel as close to Eli as I do.
“I think every disabled person who wants an assistance dog has the right to apply for one and see how far they get. It's just really sad that money gets in the way of somebody being that little bit more independent than they were before,” she said.
Over the course of its life, each assistance dog costs £20,000 to train and support but with 1.2 million wheelchair users in the UK, it's impossible to provide for everyone.
Those who are paired with a dog are not charged a penny, so the help does not depend on a client's financial ability to pay.
Canine Partners relies solely on donations from the public.
The charity's main training facility near Midhurst, West Sussex, is at full capacity with 25 dogs being schooled there at any one time, each on an 18-week course.
Jenny Moir, from the charity, said: “We've got as many trainers and probably as many dogs as we can train from here, but because the demand is increasing – not least because we place dogs with service people coming back from Afghanistan – we've decided to purchase new premises in Leicestershire which we are developing as we get money in.”
A new premises is currently being developed as and when money comes in, at an estimated final cost of £3m.
dogs – Yahoo! News Search Results
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrWjVFKuAg8&fs=1&rel=0
This film, narrated by Clare Balding, looks at the issues affecting dog health and wellbeing in this country and what is being done in 2012 to help ensure that dog welfare stays at the top of the agenda. ‘Dogs — A Healthy Future', focuses on the main issues that affect dog health and welfare, including hereditary diseases, issues created by breeding dogs for the way that they look and the problem of cruel puppy farms that breed dogs for profit without regard for their health and welfare. The film explores the steps that have already been taken to address these issues and the need for united action in order to ensure that the progress continues in 2012.
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Large dogs age faster, die younger
Most large dog owners know they are setting themselves up for heartache because their beloved pets will die much sooner than smaller breeds. The correlation between size and lifespan in dogs is well documented, but scientists are still unclear about the reasons behind it. Why, for example, does a 150-pound Great Dane only live for […]
Four-time Iditarod champ Buser leads Alaskan dog sled race
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) – four-time champion Martin buser was leading the iditarod Trail sled dog race on Saturday, but his potentially record-breaking pace was slowed by high winds, blowing snow and a soft trail, race officials said. The Swiss-born Buser reached Kaltag, an Athabascan Indian village that is the last checkpoint on the Yukon River, […]
Sniffing Out Bombs In Afghanistan: A Job That's Gone To The Dogs
military police sgt. hancock and Nero, his Dutch shepherd, play at forward operating base Frontenac in kandahar province in southern afghanistan. Nero is trained to sniff out improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, and to attack. Sean Carberry/NPR Military Police Sgt. Hancock and Nero, his Dutch shepherd, play at Forward Operating Base Frontenac in Kandahar province […]
Dogs being Shot En Masse in Natuashish
dogs in natuashish are being shot and killed this week if they are found roaming the town. In a memo from the local fire department, dated March 5th, the community is being told to keep their dogs on a leash – all others will be destroyed immediately. An estimated 300 stray dogs live in the […]
Could someone explain to me why, at Crufts, when the Best Of Breed was disqualified the dog that came 2nd wasn’t put forward as Best Of Breed?
Instead, the whole breed was thrown out.
that dalmatian Fiona is 99.98% Dalmatian, but some breeders call her a mongrel….idiots.
Minute mark 14:44 —Clapppppppps for good eyes in a dog here but HORRIBLE HIPS, KNEES AND HOCKS. What is easier to correct eyes or WHOLE REARS.
I think they don’t substitute the BOS or another “reserve” dog in the breed is because if the BOB – who was found faulty in some respect – was put up as the BOB, the judge’s placement of all dogs in that class would be cast in doubt. I don’t know if that’s the actual reason, but that seems like a possibility.
(If someone knows the actual reason, I’d love to know as well!)
Thanks to them for all the good they do.
They paint you and your pets playing poker at petpokerportraits website. Just like the classic “Dogs Playing Poker” painting!
This wants publicising on TV. The general public who love their dogs should be aware of the effects on dogs of breeding inherited problems.All dogs have the right to be healthy, happy and loved.
I think it was to show the breed clubs and the judges that if they continue to put up what are deemed unhealthy dogs then the consequences are the breed does’t appear in the group ring. An attempt to get change quicker.
por que ?
ya dejaron de practicar la endogamia?
why?
stopped practicing inbreeding?
everything they say are lies
this video was made in response to Pedigree Dogs Exposed 1/2 (BBC Documentary) (youtube it)
WATCH IT
mongrels generally live longer and are healthier watch Pedigree Dogs Exposed 1/2 (BBC Documentary) on yotube, this kennelclub propaganda is a response to the truth
Its really really impressive to see the changes the kennel club has made in these last few years. Makes me happy
Pedigree dogs exposed is the biggest one sided piece of crap I have ever watched. Any person with a brain that watches it will see they focus on one group or specific breeds and they are leaving out all of the real facts. If you believe that propaganda then your just as ignorant
oh, another unbiased pedigree owner, yeah right…
instead of spouting defensive and condescending comments how about disproving this so called “crap”‘ with your “facts”
and i still stand by statement, mongrels do live longer
Try adding a Mediterranean diet in your weight loss plan. A Mediterranean diet plan is simple; some of the ingredients are using virgin olive oil for cooking, eating legumes two times a week, replacing your meats with fish. There are many health and weight loss benefits you will receive from eating a Mediterranean diet.
i wish the AKC had better programs like this
There is a lot the AKC can do to promote better wellbeing =/The AKC really should offer thinks like spayed/neutered conformation shows like the UKC and other organizations..
It had far less one sided crap than this video, which is just a “We’re the Kennel Club, love us”-promotion video. This is full of contradictions and PDE, while not perfect, highlighted many issues ignored and swept under the rug. The dog world today (not least in the UK) is infested with people obsessed with (what they perceive to be) beauty and purity, and will keep inbreeding and breeding deformed dogs if no one speaks up. As long as the dogs make it to reproductive age, they don’t care.
PETA has nothing to do with PDE, and the producer fully resents any statement like this, she even considers PETA a “bunch of crackpots” (which I will often agree on). PETA wants full animal liberation, meaning = kill an animal before you give it a chance of a happy life. PDE is about stopping heavy inbreeding and breeding sick, exaggerated and deformed animals, and instead breeding healthy, sound and fit animals.
The show world puts millions of dogs across the world in severe pain and suffering, just as puppy mills. The difference is, the suffering the show bred dogs go through is FOR LIFE. Show breeders seem to think there are only two choices – exaggerated, sick show dogs, or puppy mills. There IS a healthy in between, and both puppy mills and show breeding are serious animal welfare concerns.