Leading national assistance dogs charity Canine Partners has been able to continue to provide specially trained assistance dogs to Royal Navy and Royal Marines veterans after receiving a donation of £27,600 at the end of 2018 from the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity.

The grant is funding the ongoing aftercare of established partnerships supported by the charity, which trains dogs in specialised tasks which give their human partners greater independence, privacy when they need it, retains their dignity and helps their family to relax, safe in the knowledge their loved one has help at hand 24 hours a day.

The grant from the RNRMC is helping the charity continue the regular home visits to all its Royal Navy and Royal Marines beneficiaries to ensure that each partnership is working well and ongoing training is provided as required. Supporting veterans and their families in this way is giving Canine Partners’ beneficiaries the security of knowing that the canine partner living with them will provide the practical assistance that is needed as well as supporting the families of veterans.  Mark, a naval officer in the Submarine Service, tells us that his wife’s canine partner, Moray, gave him absolute peace of mind. “Having him at home allowed me to continue to serve with the Armed Forces,” he said.

Canine Partners’ chief executive, Nicola Martin, said the RNRMC’s generous support is putting Canine Partners in a stronger position to provide crucial ongoing aftercare support to all the charity’s partnerships and, in turn, the charity will be far better placed to fund the new life transforming canine partnerships it is aiming to create in the coming years.

“The work Canine Partners is privileged to carry out with our veteran beneficiaries is very positive and we are extremely grateful to the RNRMC for giving us the funding to continue making a difference to the lives of all those from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines who we work with,” she added.