Give a gift to change a life
| If you’re looking for a gift for a dog lover, how about giving them that knowledge that their gift will help cement the relationship between someone else and their dog? There’s nothing like the bond between a dog lover and their woof. And if your life is transformed by a waggy tail at your side and someone who is always happy and there for you – no matter what the human race are doing – then so much the better. Assistance dogs can do this for people. They give people with disabilities and medical problems independence. They give them courage. They give them belief in themselves and in their ability to cope with situations. They give them a reason and a “must do it, the dog needs me” to get up in the morning. They get them out of the house and into the world. They can enable family members to go out to work, or to a social gathering, knowing their loved ones are not alone.
Who would think that this bundle of fur and fun will grow up to help someone with a visual impairments? Sponsor a dog today (good luck choosing who to sponsor, there are three and they are all gorgeous!) Assistance dogs transform the lives of those they help. Dog owners know how much their dogs have changed their lives. People talk to you. There’s an immediate way to get talking – you talk about your dog. Or theirs. Or both your pooches. What they get up to, the funny things they do, what they did last night, how they react to thunder, what their favourite treat is… A dog will always listen. He or she are there for you. They always have a waggy tail when you come home, if you’ve had to leave them behind. Assistance dogs are very well trained. They fulfil all sorts of responsibilities. Their jobs all differ, according to the person they are helping and what they are trained to do. Many of these can be manual tasks; stopping at a road crossing to keep a blind person safe until it’s okay to cross; taking the washing out of the machine; letting you know there’s someone at the door, or that the telephone has just rung; some can let you know if there’s a seizure on the way, or remind you to take your medicine; others can help you pull your socks on, or they do it for you; they will pick that item you’ve dropped for the 20th time in two hours, as your hands hurt or your fingers don’t work But the most important thing is that an assistance dog is there for you. They love you unconditionally. They make you laugh. They let you cry into their fur. They listen. They understand. I’ve always said that animals reach parts of us that no other person can. Thank you to them all. So on to practicalities: if you’re looking for a gift for a dog lover, why not make a donation to an Assistance Dog charity or sponsor a dog, such as a Guide Dog? Give someone who really needs some help an assistance dog – and enable a partnership to flourish and people to enjoy the love and help of a dog by their side. Assistance Dogs cover:
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