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Canine Partners
Canine Partners
Aug 4th
What happens to a Canine Partner when their working life ends? We thought we’d ask one!
Stephanie has progressive hereditary spastic paraparesis, a degenerative condition of the nervous system. For the last 11 years, Canine Partner Frodo has helped maintain her independence and quality of life. Last year, Frodo retired, but Stephanie and partner John were pleased to be able to keep him as a pet, alongside new Canine Partner Elmo…
Father and Daughter
Jun 21st
Anna and Angie
Angie is an unusual Canine Partner – she’s worked with two members of the same family!
When Canine Partner Angie came into Paul Chandler’s life, his daughter Anna admits she was a little jealous. Both Paul and Anna had Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a brittle bone disease that means their bones can break when simply coughing or sneezing.
“I have always loved dogs,” Anna said. “Suddenly my dad had a dog that would help him do many of the tasks we both find difficult but she wasn’t for sharing! However, my dad had recently lost his father and was diagnosed with respiratory failure. He was lonely and Angie became the lifeline he really needed, I could see their bond growing and it was just the support he needed.
Usually, when a Canine Partner comes into a family environment, it is only for one recipient and no one else is allowed to give them commands. In this case, though, that began to change. Anna explained: “Because my father and I had the same condition, Angie did begin to do things for me as well. I lived next door and one day I was in with my Dad when my mobile phone began to ring. I dropped it before I could answer it and Angie immediately picked it up and delivered it back to me!”
Flossie and the Dogs Pad
Apr 1st
Trainee Canine Partner Flossie is enjoying the best accommodation as she gets ready for her advance training.
Flossie has now joined the pre-advanced training class that, as the name suggests, is preparing her for going into advanced training. All the dogs in this group can be called in at any time to replace a dog in advanced training that gets placed with a human partner. More >
Canine Partners Needs You!
Apr 1st
National assistance dog charity Canine Partners, which is currently training Flossie, is calling for help from Able magazine readers.
Canine Partners is always happy to hear from any people who would like to apply for a Canine Partner, but they’re also on the lookout for help from individuals and businesses. More >
Byron’s A Star!
Apr 1st
Kate Cross explains how an assistance dog called Byron has made a huge difference to her life.
My joints dislocate very easily, so if I bend down to pick something off the floor my shoulder tends to drop painfully out of joint. Since mid-September 2007, though, my shoulder dislocations have reduced from several a day to none at all – thanks to my new shadow, Canine Partner Byron! More >
‘EBEN’S A STAR’
Apr 1st
A Canine Partner ensures a Leicester woman feels safe and proud.
Anne Pridmore from Leicester, has cerebral palsy and is a wheelchair user. She now shares her life with Eben, an assistance dog provided by Canine Partners, the national charity which trains dogs to change the lives of disabled people.
“It always seemed that the moment my PA disappeared, I would drop something or be unable to reach for it,” said Anne. “Now Eben picks things up from the floor, presses lift and shop/bank buttons, opens and shuts doors, gets post from the letter box, collects his collar and harness, plus much more.”
Anne first heard about Canine Partners from a work colleague. After successfully making it through the application process, she first met Eben when visiting the Canine Partners National Training Centre in West Sussex. “From the first moment I was asked to do some exercise with Eben I really loved him. He is such a large and handsome dog that when I was matched with him, I felt so privileged.” More >
Dropping in for Canine Partners!
Apr 1st
Determination, the support of friends and his canine partner all helped James Rose raise more than £4,000 for charity – by leaping from the sky!
James Rose, from Winchester, has cerebral palsy, which affects his dexterity, speech and mobility. He nevertheless enjoys an independent life thanks in part to his electric wheelchair and his assistance dog Nemo, trained by national charity Canine Partners.
Inspired by his best friend Michelle Lewis, who trekked across Jordan three years ago, James determined to face down his fear of heights by completing a parachute jump. However, doctors’ concerns led to two years’ battle with medical bureaucracy to achieve his dream – and to raise in excess of £4,000 for Canine Partners and Comic Relief.
There were some last minute hitches, however. “Forecasts were bad for Saturday’s weather, casting doubts on whether the jump would go ahead,” James told us. “Postponement of the jump was discussed, as a large number of people from all corners of the country were due to come and watch. However, we decided that we should risk it.
“On arrival, the instructors were very doubtful about the jump happening,” he added. “To an extent, that served as a comfort – thinking I wasn’t going to jump out, after all, of a plane at 13,000 feet! On the other hand, I was painfully aware that more and more people were arriving with the hope of watching me and Michelle skydive. Suddenly, one of the instructors shouted: ‘We’re on!’ More >
Over The Moon
Apr 1st
David Filmer explains how a canine partner called Zack turned his life around.
Zack has made so much difference to my life, it’s hard to know where to begin.
For many years I had depression due to the implications of being a disabled person in a world that cherishes perfection, and the loneliness and isolation this creates. I found it hard to motivate myself to find suitable exercise; so the pounds piled on. Apart from work, I’d go out less and less; consequently, my social circle dwindled and I felt even worse. While I am physically fairly independent there were still plenty of things I couldn’t do for myself around the home, for which I needed to ask for assistance from neighbours and friends. This grated and felt like an imposition on them, so I often waited ages before asking, simply found alternatives or went without.
Several people, including my counsellor, suggested that I needed a partner in my life and that as my confidence and success at relationships was so low that a dog might be a good substitute. As I am generally out of the house at work for more than 10 hours a day this seemed impractical – how on earth could I leave a dog at home for that length of time? More >
Super Dog
Apr 1st
Young and registered blind, electric-wheelchair user Stephanie Read’s life has been completely transformed by the UK’s first ever dual-purpose Guide Dog and Canine Partner.
Vegas is, for the time being at least, unique. The five year old black Labrador is the UK’s only registered assistance dog who performs the dual roles of guiding a blind person and helping a wheelchair user. His training is the result of a ground-breaking link-up between the charities Guide Dogs and Canine Partners.
Stephanie Read, from Torquay in Devon, has both Macular Hyperplasia (meaning she has only a very small amount of vision) and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which affects her joints and organs. The 26 year old has been a wheelchair user for the past 10 years and, before being introduced to Vegas, was a virtual prisoner in her own home, lacking confidence and isolated from the outside world.
Requiring help to get dressed and carry out the most basic domestic tasks – from answering the phone to picking up a book or newspaper – Stephanie has previously relied almost entirely upon a carer, sometimes waiting many hours for assistance to arrive.
Flossie
Apr 1st
Last year, assistance dog charity Canine Partners trained 40 dogs to transform the lives of disabled people – a 50% increase on 2007. More >
Flossie Gets a New Home!
Apr 1st
Able magazine is pleased to report on the latest ‘career development’ for our favourite Canine Partner, Flossie!
Great news! After two years of training, Flossie will shortly go to live in Cambridgeshire, having been selected to become a Companion Canine Partner for a young Polish man who was injured in a road traffic accident several years ago. More >
Flossie Gets Advanced
Apr 1st
By the time you read this article, Flossie will hopefully have started her Advanced Training at the Canine Partners Headquarters in West Sussex. For now she is concentrating on going over all she has learnt so far, rather like revising for exams. More >
