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. Any support you can give enables Canine Partners to train more assistance dogs like Flossie and so help disabled people like Jessica – who now shares her home with Canine Partner Ayisha, aka “Ash”.

“Since Ash came into our home, every member of my family’s life has been transformed,” says Jessica. “With three kids, two wheels, one husband and no time you might have thought that adding a dog to that equation would be madness. However, because that dog is a Canine Partner, the sums work! The simplest things can make all the difference to a disabled person.

“All mothers need to pick up after their families but, from a wheelchair, the constant bending down would leave me full of pain and exhaustion at the end of the day. Now I have Ash to picks up toys and mess clothes; help me with the washing, and grab my shoes when they fall off my feet. A million other small things have halved my pain and doubled my independence.

“She is adored by my children and husband as a much loved family member, but when she has her jacket on she becomes an attentive friend, ready to help me for no more that a smile – and perhaps a slice of sausage!”

For further information on how you can help, please visit www.caninepartners.co.uk or call 08456 580 480.

Here’s how you can help Canine Partners:
•    ‘Adopt a Puppy’ for just £1 a week
•    Make a donation by cheque or card (call 08456 580 480), or donate online at www.caninepartners.co.uk
•    Set up a regular gift by standing order
•    Become a volunteer
•    Buy or sell our Christmas Cards
•    Donate gifts in kind
•    Make Canine Partners your charity of the year
•    Set up a Payroll Giving scheme
•    Encourage employee fundraising or volunteering
•    Recycle printer cartridges or mobile phones
•    Put a collection box in your local shop or pub
•    Take part in a fundraising event
•    Organise a Bluebell Walk
•    Join a support group in your area
•    Consider leaving a gift to Canine Partners in your Will