Another enjoyable
day at Crufts, and congratulations to the American Cocker Spaniel,
Miami Ink for taking Best in Show. But Crufts isn't all about
winning, and today the Words & Images UK team of Rob and Ann
particularly wanted to concentrate on some of the charities and
organisations that see wonderful partnerships between dogs and
people.
One of the best
known charities is Guide Dogs for the Blind. They were out in force
encouraging visitors to sponsor a guide dog puppy. A spokesperson
pointed out that every single hour someone in the UK loses their
sight. And the cost of a guide dog from birth throughout its life
amounts to £55,000. That money comes from the generosity of the
public through fundraising, legacies, sponsoring etc., so our
continued support is vital.
In January of this
year, Guide Dogs fully integrated with the charity Blind Children UK,
so that they can build on existing services and support more children
with sight loss. Visit their website to learn more of their work –
and perhaps sponsor a guide dog puppy. Www.guidedogs.org.uk
 |
| Guide dog brood bitch, Tess. |
So how well behaved,
well mannered, calm and friendly is your pet? Perhaps your dog could
become a Pets as Therapy (PAT) Dog. Volunteers work with their own
pets to bring joy, comfort and companionship to others in need. Pets
as Therapy volunteers go into residential homes, schools, hospitals,
hospices, day care centres and prisons, allowing individuals to
stroke and touch them.
 |
| Angie Seedhouse and PAT Dog Sausage. |
Angie Seedhouse's
Staffi, 9-year old, Sausage, has been a PAT Dog for 4 years. “He
loved doing this straight away,” said Angie. “We have to go
around a lot of people and he judges
the length of time spent with each person. He decides when it's time
to move on. But he will stay with someone for longer time if he
thinks they need it – if he hasn't got a smile out of them. He also
senses when someone has been ill and gives them extra time and cheers
them up!”
Sausage's
intelligent and kindly nature has not gone unnoticed, as he was
awarded Hi-Life PAT Dog of the Year in the Crufts arena. So no
doubt an extra sausage in Sausage's bowl when he got home!
 |
| Cate Archer and Doug the Pug Therapy Dog |
Doug the Pug Therapy
Dog was attracting lots of attention looking very cute sitting in a
basket, proudly displaying his 'Most Heroic Hound' award
rosette, from the Super Dogs
Live tour at the National Pet Show last year. But apart from
looking cute he'd also had a book written about him. His owner, Cate
Archer has written a book highlighting the joys of the human/animal
bond based on Doug's working life as a PAT Dog. All royalties from
every book sold go directly to Pets as Therapy. Learn more:
www.petsastherapy.org And more on Doug's book at: www.dougthepugtherapydog.com
 |
| Support Dogs |
Support Dogs is a
national charity dedicated to training assistance dogs to transform
the lives of people with epilepsy, physical disabilities and children
with autism. The charity celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
Like most of our national charities they too rely on the generosity
of the public to continue their work.
Support Dogs is the
only organisation in the UK to train Seizure Alert Dogs. They are
trained to give up to a 50 minute warning prior to an oncoming
seizure, so that person can prepare for the seizure and so avoid
injury. Also, the very fact that the person knows they won't be taken
by surprise by a sudden seizure has shown to increase their
independence and reduce seizure frequencies – and of course can be
life saving.
The charity also
provide safety and companionship for children with autism, bringing
more independence for the child and the family. Having an Autism
Assistance Dog in the family has shown to reduce stress in the
family, promote positive chances in behaviour, provide comfort for
the child when upset, and enhance verbal communication.
 |
| Support Dog, Oscar. |
For people with
physical disabilities, Support Dogs work to improve their quality of
life and independence by training their own pet dog as a Disability
Assistance Dog. Each dog is specifically trained to help its owner
with their individual needs. In general they are trained to pick up
dropped objects, to help the person get in and out of bed and to get
dressed and undressed; they're able to operate control buttons, load
and unload the washing machine, open and close doors and raise the
alarm if their owner is in difficulties.
We chatted to Wendy
Martin who has disc degeneration and fibromyalgia. Talking about her
Support Dog, Oscar, she said: “He's my second Support Dog and he's
nine and a half now. He gets me out of bed, fetches the phone and the
mail, he puts washing in the washing machine, picks things up that I
drop. He's made such a difference to my life. I don't know how I
would manage without him.” When the time comes for Oscar to retire,
he'll be spending more time relaxing on Wendy's sofa, while a new
Support Dog will be assisting her with her everyday tasks.
 |
| Support Dog, Baby, just chilling! |
Kathy Wylde's
Support Dog, a lovely King Charles Spaniel named Baby was her own pet
to begin with. As a double amputee, and confined to a wheelchair,
Kathy relies on Baby a great deal. And in addition to the tasks
mentioned, Baby also provides Kathy with a little extra TLC.
Kathy said: “I
suffer from phantom limb pain, and Baby senses when I'm in pain, and
comes and sits on my lap, allowing the warmth of her body to ease my
pain. It's just something she does of her own accord, it's not
something she's been trained to do.”
Discover more about Support Dogs: www.supportdogs.org.uk
 |
| Dog handler, Julie Hargreaves with Emma |
Retired Police Dogs
Benevolent Funds are schemes set up to help with the cost of on-going
care and treatment for retired police dogs to ensure they have a
healthy and happy life in retirement. Police dogs undergo
years of vigorous training and work hard making sure we stay safe. As
they grow older, as well as suffering from the usual ailments
associated with age, but quite possibly arthritis, hip and knee
injuries, torn ligaments and spinal problems.
In retirement they
may need operations, blood tests, x-rays, hydrotherapy and other
treatments, so the Benevolent Funds will be to help the retired dog's
owner, whether that's its handler still, or a kind hearted new owner.
The fund will ensure the owner can afford this treatment and help the
dog have a well deserved happy and healthy retirement.
Officers from the
West Midlands and the Staffordshire Police were talking to the public
at Crufts. So we spoke to Julie Hargreaves, a dog handler for the
Staffordshire Police. Julie has two police dogs, Razor a 7-year-old
German Shepherd who is a general purpose police dog and 4-year-old
Labrador, Emma, a drugs and firearms recovery dog.
Add caption
Julie said: “When
the dogs retire usually the handler keeps them, or at least they get
first refusal. If they aren't able to keep the dog as their pet, then
there's a waiting list of people wanting a former police dog.”
Find out more:
http://retiredwmpd.org.uk
Enjoy more of our
photos taken at Crufts.
 |
| Lisa with Gracie and Finn |
 |
| Iwan Thomas MBE enjoying Crufts. |
 |
| Argo, a 8 and a half month Akita puppy Won Minor Puppy class. |
 |
| Ann testing Eurotherapy treatment pain relief for dogs, horses and writers! |
 |
| Regan, a 1-year-old Australian Shepherd dog |
 |
| Australian Shepherd dog, Emily, aged 15 months |
So well done to the Kennel Club for organising another great Crufts Show! Additional news and information at: www.crufts.org.uk
