Loughborough charity calling for Puppy Training volunteers
These dogs go on to allow their partners to reclaim independence in their day-to-day lives
There's an urgent call for people in the East Midlands to help provide life-changing support to those with disabilities by becoming a puppy training volunteer.
The Loughborough charity Canine Partners, trains assistance dogs for people living with physical disabilities and is now calling for Puppy Training volunteers.
It comes as a sustained decline in volunteering since the pandemic has posed a real risk to the charity's ability to meet growing demand for life-changing partnerships which empower people with greater independence, security, and confidence.
Lucy Eldred is the CEO and tells us more:
"Puppy volunteer trainers are our most important volunteer role. It's because it is a really big commitment. It's takes an awful long time for our puppies to grow, mature, and become socialised before they go on to their assistance dog training.
"So the the puppies live with our volunteers and they're supported by specialist groups and their trainers. There's no need for special qualifications, or for the volunteer to be a dog trainer, but it is seven days a week you have to care for it, and after 14 to 16 months that puppy will go on to help someone with a physical disability.
"Many of our volunteers absolutely love the fact that their dogs go on and help people in such a meaningful way."
Lucy added that because of overwhelming demand, rising costs and a decline in donations and volunteers, Canine Partners has been forced to make the decision to temporarily close its waiting list to new applications for an assistance dog.
Currently, about 100 individuals are waiting for a trained assistance dog, each urgently needing support with essential daily tasks to regain their independence and improve their quality of life.
The dogs have much more to do than fetch and retrieve – they allow their partners to reclaim independence in their day-to-day lives by opening doors, retrieving dropped items, operating light switches, and providing consistent emotional support. In addition to practical assistance, these canines also offer companionship, increased confidence, and a sense of safety.
The impact is demonstrated through the 93% of people who say their assistance dog has improved their emotional wellbeing and confidence, 89% report that their dog enables them to live life more fully, and 73% need less formal care, reducing the strain on the NHS and local services.
For many, the most valued benefit is the companionship they enjoy, with “loving” being the word most frequently used to describe the relationship, highlighting the enduring bond between human and dog.
The Process
Each puppy is initially cared for alongside their mum by a Dog Breeding volunteer. At about eight weeks of age, the puppy moves in with a Puppy Training volunteer, who helps them learn basic obedience and social skills.
When the dog is 14-16 months old, they move to live with an Assistance Dog Training volunteer and begins more specialist training at the charity’s National Training Centre in Leicestershire.
Of all dogs trained, about 60% go on to become canine partner assistance dogs with the remainder matched to other meaningful roles – some become canine home assistants for those who primarily need help around the house, others become well-trained canine companions in homes where someone has a disability, and a small number take on alternate roles such as dog ambassadors, canine partner mums, or applicant assessment dogs.
The journey from puppyhood to partnership, spans many years and costs in the region of £50,000 per dog – covering everything from puppy selection and training, through to partnership creation, ongoing support and their well-deserved retirement.
Canine Partners, which is accredited by Assistance Dogs UK and Assistance Dogs International, does not receiving any government support, and is marking its 35th birthday today, having created more than 1,000 partnerships to date. You can find out more on their website.