Support Dogs

Support Dogs

At the Club meeting on 7^thJanuary 2020, 23 members listened to a well presented illustrated talk by Tess Thompson on the work being done by the small Sheffield charity, Support Dogs, which is dedicated to increasing independence and quality of life for people with epilepsy, autism or physical disability. This is achieved by providing, training and supporting specialist assistance dog partnerships and I - and I suspect all those present, was astounded as Tess explained the tasks that their dogs are trained to perform; and as we watched and listened to the testimonials from individuals whose quality of life had dramatically improved as a result of the assistance given by their support dog. We heard about dogs trained to provide 100% reliable warning to people with epilepsy prior to the onset of an epileptic seizure: we heard about dogs trained to provide safety for autistic people, mainly children, by reducing their stress in social environments: and we heard about dogs trained to perform tasks specifically tailored to the individual needs of people with physical disabilities. The skill and dedication of Support Dogs’ trainers cannot be overstated as they take dogs, usually from rescue centres or as unwanted pets and, over a 2-year period, train each one to the specific needs of an individual person. Support Dogs currently have 70 ongoing partnerships but such is the need for their service they also have over 4,500 applications for an assistance dog. At the end of the presentation, Tess was enthusiastically thanked by our members and she was handed a cheque for £50 as a donation from the Club in support of the very deserving service performed by Support Dogs.