Our CEO, Delva Patman has been visiting the projects we funded with our first batch of grants. Support Dogs in Sheffield received £15,000 to fund an instructor working with ten dogs on the Disability Assistance Programme. We travelled to Support Dogs HQ to meet the team and find out more about what they do.
Specialist training for dogs to support humans
We got to see firsthand how talented the dogs (and trainers are). We met Kim with her dog Essie and Emma with her dog Jeff. These dogs, work on the Disability Assistance programme and are on duty 24/7. Support dogs like Essie and Jeff might work with people who have MS, Cerebral Palsy or a spinal cord injury. Kim and Emma explained that these dogs help them with a wide range of practical tasks.
Katie Payne, the dog trainer, explained,
“Training is intense and varies from dog to dog. Sometimes dogs are trained when they are puppies. As well as training the dogs, we train the humans too! Our clients need to know how to command and work with the dog and we do follow-up training to make sure everything is going smoothly.”
All services are given to the user free of charge. Currently, 100% of service users report reduced care needs and improved independence. Two-thirds are now working or in education. And 80% say family members have been able to take on paid work instead of full-time caring responsibilities.
A charity expanding to offer more
As part of the visit, we were also able to look around the organisation’s new premises. Rita Howson, Support Dogs CEO and Danny Anderson, Fundraising Manager led the tour. As a Foundation CEO and Chartered Surveyor, Delva was the perfect person to appreciate the benefits a custom-built environment can have on charity operations.
Delva said,
“The visit to Support Dogs was fantastic. Not only did we get to meet some of the canine team and their trainers, we saw for ourselves a charity that clearly has its sights on offering the best facilities for staff, trainers and dogs long into the future. Thank you to Rita and Danny for looking after us so well.”
Delva looks at plans for the new build. Delva and Support Dogs CEO Rita.
Visiting the charities we’ve funded is a great opportunity to see where the money raised by players of The Health Lottery is going and make deeper connections with the organisations we’re supporting.
If you would like to know more about Support Dogs, visit their website and follow them on social media.
Website: www.supportdogs.org.uk
Facebook: @ supportdogsuk1
X: @supportdogsuk
All photos ©Heather Suttie