Help Assist Dogs Cornwall
Donation protected
CLASS OF 2023
Twelve puppies are training for two years to become Assistance Dogs for Children in Cornwall. These puppies will become certified to assist with physical, psychological and psychiatric disabilities. Donations are collected and allocated by
The Children's Clinic for Cornwall Ltd. Reg Charity #1101194
SPONSOR A PUPPY
With your sponsorship and others, these wonder pups will embark on a ten-year journey of love, loyalty and dedication to their child partner and provide life-altering assistance, life-enhancing support and life-saving guidance to the whole family.
*Please note our assist puppies and their child’s names are changed for privacy and we do not post photos of the child; we update their magical journey with the sponsored puppy’s photos, testimonials and stories.
ANGELS HAVE PAWS
We witness life changing improvements, often within days of the child meeting their pup. Many children spend months or years in Doctors' offices, therpy and assessments, yet an innocent puppy can find a way through the child’s block, turn their life upside down, around and back to the joys of childhood.
WHO WE ARE
We are Assist Dogs Cornwall, we are the Assistance Animal Group for the Children’s Clinic for Cornwall.
We are funded by local businesses, donations and 3 volunteers. Our dogs are free for disabled children in Cornwall and the families pay for food and health insurance.
We have been training and sponsoring Assistance Dogs for nearly 10years. We are driven by the pure joy we witness every time a child bonds with one of these remarkable puppies.
- Non-verbal children often start to speak to their puppy.
- Housebound children crippled by anxiety and depression will often leave their homes with their pup by their side.
- Children with hypermobility and attachment disorders can settle, cuddle and focus on their pup's needs.
- PTSD and Traumatised children can benefit from caring for a pup and shifting the focus of their anxiety towards the puppy's needs for fresh air, play, training, adventures and socialising.
OUR FOCUS
Is nurturing the extraordinary bond between the child and the Assist Dog
Children and dogs form a bond that we don’t need to understand; it is safe, pure and provides comfort in what can be a harsh and unforgiving world. Children with disabilities suffer unspeakable hardships; their Assistance Dog is their best friend, a furry shoulder to cry on and a physical barrier between the child and the harshness of this world.
OUR PUPS ARE GIVEN TO ONE FAMILY FOREVER
Our orogram is centralised around the dog. We consider the dog's emotional health as important as the child’s. They are a team for life and not passed from one assist case to another, we transfer ownership to the family so that there is no fear of being separated from a beloved pet.
We spend three to six months ensuring that the families we choose are committed to bringing the dog home as a beloved pet, a member of the family and are willing to care for the dog into and through retirement. Families must commit to train their pup at home 15-30 minutes a day as part of the program, they also pay for food and insurance. Some of the sponsorship guarantees that the dog can remain with its family or foster with us through any financial, circumstance or health difficulties.
MEET OUR FACILITY AAI ASSIST, THERAPY and DEMO DOGS
We visit schools, hospitals, hospices and community centres with a mission to change the perception of Assist Dogs from disability aids to superheroes. This change is essential as we face increasing ASD, PTSD, trauma and Psychiatric disabilities in children, with most have to navigate mainstream school. A child assist dog must be seen as social inclusion aid rather than incur prejudice or bullying. Demonstrations in primary schools are the key.
ASSISTANCE DOGS AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
- Assistance Dogs can be social magnets and attract other children to play games and enquire about the assistance dog.
- Our Dogs are skilled at many sports games, magic tricks and demonstrations that will ‘wow’ children and adults alike, encouraging inclusion and engagement for the child, if and when desired.
- Our Assist Dogs can also create barriers and boundaries to give the child personal space and sensory protection.
TRAINING SOCIALS
- Our program is unique in that we train socially, which means we teach several puppies, the children and their families together. The training days become very important to the whole family as they provide emotional, social and therapeutic support alongside the required training and learning.
- Our social days include practitioners qualified in AAI, Osteopathy, homoeopathy and Animal Assisted Therapy to help with the child, pup, and family's emotional bond and development. All of our trainers are animal Intervention therapists, which is the combination that underpins the success of our program.
- By training up to 3 dogs and their child/parent handlers together we have reduced the cost of an Assistance dog by 75% whilst providing a dynamic social, therapeutic environment for the child and their families.
- We are very proud to have 49 Assistance and Service puppies/dogs in the field that we have bred, trained or placed since 2012.
YOUR SPONSORSHIP WILL BE LIFE CHANGING
An Assistance Dog costs range from £20,000 to £36,000 in training, support and health /care for the dogs lifetime including retirement.
By training in groups of children/handlers and their puppies, we have cut these costs down dramatically but we still have to ask for the family to contribute a percentage of the costs. We feel it is vital that there be a family plan and fundraising effort as it is an important part of our program to raise awareness within the child’s own community.
Our dream is to be able to offer our dogs to children in need on a sliding scale, with some at little or no cost to the families. This fundraising campaign is a small step towards that goal.
We have an Assist Dog Stud Reggie that has sired many of our best pups and several volunteer breeders of golden retriever and labrador puppies.
Assistance dogs must be from at least one Assistance or Service dog parent to ensure suitable working traits and skills; unfortunately, service puppies are rarely available or affordable. Our waiting lists for a puppy are currently three months to a year long.
Where we are
We have an Assistance Training Centre in Lostwithiel and full access rooms in the Children’s Clinic for Cornwall where we train the puppies with children who need specialist disabled facilities or sensory rooms.
Our Commitment
Assistance Dogs are a long term commitment for the family and ADC. We have had success with every dog we have matched because our support program ensures that hiccups are identified and solved before the puppy arrives or early in the dog's career. We spend most of our time and resources nurturing and securing a bond and healthy dynamic between the child, the family and the puppy, as this is crucial to the success of our program. Most of our dog trainers are therapists, which is the combination that makes this possible.
'There are not many who can say that their job is to help angels find their person.'
Shonna Hands
Founder Assist Dogs Cornwall
Pictured with Monty the 1st ADC Dog 2012
Organizer
Shonna Hands
Organizer
England
