Latest news with #assistanceDogs
BBC News
10-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Guide dog puppies train at Chatsworth House
Guide dog puppies in training have been walking around the artwork at a Derbyshire stately home. Pets are usually banned from Chatsworth House unless they are assistance dogs, but the puppy trainees were granted special permission to explore the building and its fragile art dog puppies spend the first year of their lives with volunteer 'puppy raisers', who introduce them to busy spaces including high streets, railway stations and Dogs puppy raiser, Bron Rawlings, said training at places like Chatsworth House gives the puppies "experience for their work life and helps them to socialise with people." Managers at Chatsworth granted the puppies and their handlers access to the Painted Hall, State Rooms and the galleries which contain some pieces of artwork which date back more than 4,000 years and can be very Cupitt, Puppy Development Advisor for Guide Dogs said it is important the puppies are exposed to different environments to "help them grow up to become confident guide dogs"."To support this, we try to organise days out for them, similar to school trips, where they can experience new places and learn how to behave well in these settings," Ms Cupitt Firth, Visitor Experience Leader at Chatsworth, said: "It's been a privilege supporting the Guide Dogs team, and we've loved having the puppies come and visit."We very much hope that once they're fully qualified, they'll come back and visit us again with their new owners. Guide Dogs is looking for new puppy raisers and has said it will cover all essential costs and provide full Rawlings, who is training her eighth puppy, said she has learned not to become too attached to her four-legged pupils."You have them with the idea you let them go, so you've got to have that mindset", she added."As much as I love him, he's not my dog and I know he's going to move onto something better. "It's really good fun but it is hard work as you have to be consistent with your training and teach them everything."
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Blind man from Torquay prepares for Ben Nevis challenge
A blind man is preparing to climb the tallest mountain in the UK to raise money for a charity training working dogs that assist people impaired by health Timbrell, 60, from Torquay in Devon is planning to climb Ben Nevis in Scotland to support Dogs For dogs are trained to help their owners with tasks around the home such as emptying washing machines, picking things up and helping them take off items of clothing. Mr Timbrell will attempt the climb with the help of two companions, including a qualified mountain guide. "Mountains are a bit different to hill-walking," Mr Timbrell said. "Ben Nevis is what, 4,406 feet? The first half is apparently not too bad. The second half is probably more rocky, narrower paths and a zigzag all the way to the top."The hardest part will be coming down," he added. The money will be used to train assistance Banks has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) which means she has chronic pain and her joints dislocate also has issues with her heart and blood assistance dog Albert assists his owner with everyday tasks around the house. "He's [Albert] been completely life-changing," Ms Banks said. "I now have a whole job and a career and I can go on holiday and travel around and do things that I would never have done before I had Albert." "He helps me with things like taking off my jumpers and cardigans so I don't dislocate my shoulders. "He picks things up for me, he pulls doors open, he loads the washing machine and just enables me to live an independent life." Mr Timbrell has taken part in previous challenges for charity including a tandem bike ride and a sponsored walk. He is planning to do the climb at the end of October with the exact date depending on the conditions.
BBC News
04-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Post-Brexit pet travel scheme comes into effect
A new scheme aimed at simplifying post-Brexit pet travel between Great Britain and Northern Ireland has come into Brexit, Northern Ireland remained part of the EU's animal health zone while Great Britain was has meant pets being taken from Great Britain to Northern Ireland have required rabies vaccinations and a new travel certificate for each new Pet Travel Document (PTD) will be valid for the pet's lifetime and the requirement for rabies vaccination has been dropped. What does the Pet Travel Document mean? A spokesperson for the UK's Department of Environment said pet owners and assistance dog users who are travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland "can now apply for a free pet travel document that's quick and easy to get online, and will last the pet's lifetime"."This is in stark contrast to the old system, which required pet owners to obtain expensive health treatments and cumbersome journey certificates from a vet every time they travelled," they main conditions of the PTD scheme are that the pet must be microchipped and the owner must sign a form saying the animal will not be brought into the Republic of scheme covers dogs, cats and ferrets. There are separate arrangements for other arrangements only apply to pet owners living in Great Ireland residents returning home from Great Britain do not require the travel document but their pet must be PTD is part of the Windsor Framework, Northern Ireland's revised Brexit deal, which amended the original NI Protocol agreement. 'Imposes a pet passport scheme' The scheme has been criticised by the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) MP Jim Allister who said its impact has been overstated as the original requirements were not being fully in a House of Commons debate last year, he said: "I take issue with the minister saying that this is an improvement. "The original propositions of the protocol were never implemented."The grace periods remain the current position, which is that no pet passports, no documentation and no requirement to be part of a pet scheme is needed to bring your pet from Great Britain to the other part of the United Kingdom."What these regulations do is impose a pet passport scheme."Guide Dogs NI said it was pleased with the progress and clarity surrounding pet advised those travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland with a guide dog should plan in advance, as the process to issue one takes up to five working Search and Rescue Dog Association Ireland North (SARDA IN) expressed strong support for the said the policy simplifies travel for its highly-trained search and rescue UK and EU are working on an agrifood deal that will reduce the impact of the "Irish Sea border', but it is understood that it will not remove the need for the PTD.
BBC News
26-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Banbury charity reveals how life-changing assistance dogs are raised
"The need is always there - not just for assistance dogs but for positive connections with dogs."Dogs for Good in Banbury, Oxfordshire, trains dogs to help people with physical disabilities, autism and charity is currently caring for Labrador Retriever and Golden Retriever puppies at the very start of their journeys to become assistance Phelps, from Dogs for Good, told the BBC the charity was "involved in every step of every dog's life". The charity has its own breeding programme, through which it selects its broods and stud Phelps said volunteers look after the mothers and their puppies for the first eight weeks of their said: "During that time, our puppy team will come and visit mum and puppies to make sure that everything's progressing as it should be and that everybody's happy and everybody's safe."The characteristics that we look for in a puppy mum is calm, confident, adaptable - those really positive mothering instincts and a good all round dog that's going to be a lovely mum to her puppies."Each puppy will be with their volunteer for about 16 to 18 months until they return for formal Phelps said it was a lot for the female dogs to look after their litters, which could often be up to 12 puppies, and a week after giving birth were often ready to be "free" and "just be the pet dog again".Before they leave their mother, the puppies must be fully weaned, so that they are able to eat and drink independently. Ms Phelps said the charity was "more than a supplier of assistance dogs". "Twenty years ago we used to supply assistance dogs to physically disabled adults and children. "And we are really proud of that heritage - it is where we come from. "But, actually, it's only about 20% of the people that we connect with dogs that want an assistance dog."The charity's community dog programme, for example, involves a specially-trained dog and professional handler working together to support an individual's needs such as building self-esteem and overcoming said the charity was "broadening horizons all the time". "The need is always there, not just for assistance dogs but for positive connections with dogs," she said."That's why having a broad brush of service is so vital." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
