£17,000 funding to support the training of two assistance dogs for children.

In 2004 Dogs for the Disabled started a pilot project to train three assistance dog teams to work specifically with children for the first time.  The help that a trained dog provides a disabled child is fundamental in allowing them to reduce the dependence they would otherwise have on other family members.

An assistance dog also enables a child to play active games, which in turn helps interaction with other children.  The close contact with a dog has also been proven to improve the child physiotherapy progress as well as providing comfort and friendship.

Last summer after several months of training, Viggo, a Labrador Cross Golden Retriever was  one of the first dogs to become a “Skilled Companion Dog”.  Viggo has been partnered with11 year old Tom, who has suffered from cerebral palsy from birth.  Tom’s mum Hilary confirmed, “I’ve been amazed, we’ve not had a dog before so I didn’t know what to expect, but Tom just loves having Viggo.  The other day I noticed that Tom was using his weaker left hand to stroke Viggo.  It may sound trivial but Tom has difficulty using his left hand and never volunteers to use it.  It’s funny but since having Viggo he actually wants to try and use both hands and that alone is a big step.” 

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