A dog's life (a story about dogs helping disabled ect)

[Guest guest]

A dog's life

Animal rights activist and author Caras once said that dogs are not

our whole life, but they make our lives whole.

That sentiment also describes the situation of a Warwick woman who has

helped fundraise for the Dogs for the Disabled charity during the past 11

years.

The national organisation has its roots in this district.

Founder member and former Kenilworth resident Frances Hay started receiving

instinctive help from her dog when her cancer started getting worse.

She died in 1990, age 41, but her idea of setting up a charity to fund

specially-trained dogs to help people cope better with their demands allowed

her legacy to live on when Dogs for the Disabled was formed in 1988.

And now, after receiving a lottery grant in 2000, a national base and kennel

has been established in Banbury which trained more than 300 dogs last year.

Mrs Carr, of Woodloes Avenue South, is the Warwick group co-orindator and

has had her dog, Demi, for the past 18 months.

She said: " People just don't understand how much the dogs mean to us. Before

I had Demi my confidence had gone completely but since she came into my life

I have been able to become far more independent. The pain is so much worse

when you haven't got a dog. "

Mrs Carr lives with fibromyalgia, a muscle condition which can cause chronic

fatigue and aching.

She also walks with crutches or uses a scooter because of the effects of

arthritis so having Demi around proved invaluable.

She added: " If you define the word disabled it is something you can't do,

but the charity's ethos is to work at things and get people to do as much as

they can.

" The dogs can help in a variety of ways, from helping take the laundry out

of the washing machine to picking up keys and opening doors.

" But they are also trained to bark on command which helps when you are

outside because they can attract attention if you need help. Dogs never fail

to surprise me at how intuitive they can be. "

After nine months' formal training in Banbury the dogs, mainly labradors or

retrievers, are paired with their future owners for a familiarisation

period.

The centre has just started its own breeding programme and the recent

arrival of 12 puppies was successful. It is all part of developing the

charity in which fundraisers are vital given the cost of educating each dog

is £5,000.

Mrs Carr said: " We need to keep raising awareness and growing. It is a very

exciting charity to be a part of and when you see the difference a dog can

make to someone's life it is incredibly rewarding. The dogs have fun, too,

and get to meet up with others all the time. They are not always at work

like some people think. "

Fundraisers are welcome to join the six members of the team working in

Warwick at the moment.

To celebrate the 18th anniversary of the charity, a recipe book is being

compiled to help raise funds. Favourite recipes are wanted. Call Carr

on 774407.

28 March 2006

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