Canary ‘Woof’ 2023

On the 29 and 30 November Canine Partners staff, volunteers and dogs joined together at Jubilee Place in Canary Wharf in central London.

This yearly event aims to promote the amazing work our specially trained assistance dogs do for people living with physical disabilities across the UK.

After setting up our station in the prime location – (next to Starbucks) it was go time!

A number of times throughout the day our amazing Demonstration Team showcased the brilliant taskwork of our dogs, from turning on light switches to pulling off bed sheets and loading the washing machine, we could hear the gasps from onlookers and could see the amazement in their faces.

Over the two whole days we spent at Canary Wharf we managed to raise an incredible £4000!

Thank you to everyone involved and a big thank you to everyone who donated!

See you next year!

Dog Breeding volunteers – Donna and Jeff

Donna and Jeff Garratty from Staffordshire

Donna and her husband Jeff have been Dog Breeding volunteers for Canine Partners since 2019. It has been an amazing journey that has profoundly impacted their life.

Jasmine, a five-year-old black Labrador, came into our life in October 2019. She’s a princess who knows her own mind, yet she’s calm, obedient, and a truly lovely girl. She exhibits a maternal instinct towards other dogs and is an integral part of our family and home-based business.

Our decision to become a Dog Breeding volunteer was influenced by two significant reasons. Firstly, we had recently lost our own dog and volunteering felt like a legacy to our beloved companion. Secondly, my husband and I, without children of our own, had always been passionate about animals and wanted to do something positive.

Volunteering for Canine Partners has transformed our lives. It has made us realise the tremendous effort that goes into preparing these dogs for a greater purpose. The investment of time, money, and energy is substantial, but the end goal of providing independence to someone is remarkable.

Support from Canine Partners

The support we’ve received from Canine Partners has been outstanding. The Breeding Team has been supportive not only during Jasmine’s pregnancy but also throughout the entire journey. Any reservations we initially had, such as the possibility of the dog being moved to another home, were dispelled by the unwavering support from the Canine Partners team.

This role has taught us a great deal about dog health and care, even though we already had experience with dogs through our pet business. The training provided by Canine Partners is great and prepares you well for the responsibilities involved. The team have been brilliant at managing our emotions, which is crucial as it can be a rollercoaster of joy and challenges, but it is immensely rewarding.

If you’re considering becoming a Dog Breeding volunteer for Canine Partners, we would urge you to think seriously about it. It’s not for the faint-hearted, as it requires a significant commitment to provide the right environment for these beautiful dogs. However, if you want the pleasure of having a wonderful dog with an incredible amount of support, it’s the right choice. It’s a long-term commitment, but it’s a fabulous and life-changing thing to do.

Being a Dog Breeding volunteer has its highs and lows, but we wouldn’t change a thing. We are currently preparing for another litter and eagerly anticipate the joy and challenges it will bring. Choosing to volunteer for Canine Partners was a great decision, and the support we’ve received has been second to none.

It’s a remarkable experience, knowing that the puppies we raise will go on to lead amazing lives as assistance dogs. It is truly amazing and heartwarming to see the relationship between the canine partners we have raised and the people they support.

Amazing funds raised by West Sussex Golf Club

Back on 7 September, West Sussex Golf Club Captain’s charity day, members and guests came together to raise money for Canine Partners. The charity day includes games of golf, raffles, a silent auction and a demo from our amazing Dog Demonstration Team.

The West Sussex Golf Club’s charity day raised a staggering £13,348.21 for Canine Partners! A cheque presentation held earlier this month on 18 November, showcased a huge cheque where the incredible funds were presented to Canine Partners.

A massive thank you to West Sussex Golf Club for their amazing fundraising, we are extremely grateful.

Abseiling down the Spinnaker Tower: Lorraine’s fundraising story

Abseiling down the Spinnaker Tower: Lorraine’s fundraising story

65-year-old Lorraine, who lives in Fareham, abseiled 100m down the Spinnaker Tower to raise vital funds for Canine Partners. This is her story:

“It all started when we tragically lost our beloved eldest son, Michael, to a spinal injury. While Michael was fighting for his life in hospital, his wonderful friends set up a Just Giving page for him that raised more than £30,000.

“After the unthinkable happened and he passed away, we had to decide where the money raised would go. We split it between three charities: two of which were close to Michael’s heart and the third being Canine Partners.

“After reading about the amazing work of the Canine Partners, I was staggered by the huge difference that a canine partner assistance dog can make to the life of a disabled person. Had Michael lived, he may well have eventually benefited from one of these incredible dogs.

“In 2018, I was delighted to visit the Southern Training Centre to see how the dogs are trained and we were honoured to have a puppy called Monti sponsored in Michael’s name.

“This year, Michael and I would have reached a combined age of 100 – him 35 and me 65. I wanted to mark the occasion by doing something outrageous (outrageous for me, anyway!) for charity. My friend suggested abseiling down the Spinnaker Tower, but she didn’t let me do it alone. Another close friend joined us, and we each raised money for our charities of choice.

“You asked about training – well, there wasn’t any until we were hanging off the side of the tower! That’s probably deliberate because it’s too late to back out by then! Luckily, the weather was fabulous, so we didn’t have to battle with wind or rain. We all managed to get to the bottom and, although it was undeniably scary at times, we thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.

“I started my fundraising with a target of £1000, which quickly raised to £1300. The fund currently stands at more than £2000! It has been an absolute pleasure to support this wonderful charity.”

Could you fundraise for Canine Partners? To find out more and get inspiration for your next challenge, please visit caninepartners.org.uk/get-involved/fundraising

RHS Tatton Flower Show

We were delighted to be running the shop and drop again at the RHS – Royal Horticultural Society Tatton Flower Show 19-23 July.

Here’s our CEO Alex helping out, along with some of our amazing volunteers!

We had plenty of visits to our stand enabling people to learn more about the life-changing work Canine Partners does. We also had some people let us look after their new purchases while they enjoyed the show.

See you next year?

Arlington Bluebell Walk 2023

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Ruth Narracott and her army of volunteers for raising a fantastic amount of money from the Arlington Bluebell Walk in East Sussex on 6 and 7 May 2023.

They had over 400 visitors over the two days and raised a staggering £3,082 (and counting!) for Canine Partners.

The dog-friendly walk through the bluebells included seven different routes, including a wheelchair-friendly gravelled route through ancient oak woods. Refreshments were available at the end from the café with all proceeds coming to Canine Partners across the weekend.

We are so grateful for this wonderful support and cannot thank you enough. Our supporters are the reason we are able to continue training our fantastic dogs and transform lives.

Volunteers’ Week 2023

Volunteers are the lifeblood of our charity – without them, we wouldn’t be able to transform the lives of people living with disabilities in the UK.

We’re incredibly lucky to have a community of dedicated volunteers who donate their time and talents to support us in our mission to train amazing dogs and create even more amazing partnerships.

Throughout the week we will be hosting social events to bring together our volunteers so that we can say a big thank you and show them how much we appreciate all of the hard work and dedication they give to our charity – whilst eating cake!

Thank you!

What volunteering means to our volunteers

“I have immense fun and laughter, we go to so many places and do things together and it’s also brought me lots of like-minded friends. Whether that is through raising awareness through puppy parenting, speaking to groups or fundraising, you always get a warm feeling that what you have done or said will inspire others to join our charity. ”

Katy, Dog Breeding Volunteer

“I look forward to going each week, meeting like-minded people who share the love and devotion to the charity who make this all happen. You are made to feel ‘not just a volunteer’ but I feel very involved and part of the team and thoroughly enjoy learning about caring for the dogs. I feel very lucky to be a vital link in this amazing charity.” 

Carol, volunteer Kennel Assistant

“I am often the first person visitors meet, so I have to be professional but also give a warm welcome. I hope to continue volunteering and be an ambassador spreading the word of the brilliant work the charity does.”

Carole, Reception volunteer

How to get involved

At Canine Partners, we offer many rewarding volunteer opportunities. Our growing band of volunteers are helping us to provide even more amazing assistance dogs for disabled adults. We are currently looking for volunteers for the following roles:

Events
Driver
Reception
Kitchen Assistant/Housekeeping/Gardeners/Maintenance
Dog Breeding volunteer
Fosterer
Puppy Parent volunteer
Kennel Assistant

To find out more about being a volunteer please visit our Volunteering website page or email volunteer@caninepartners.org.uk

Updates from our community

Canine Partners in the media

We’re delighted to share that a number of our partnerships have been featured in print, on radio and on TV recently…

Partner Wendy with canine partner Carmen was interviewed by Sharon Hartley on BBC Radio Lancashire, broadcast on Tuesday 28 February. Listen again on BBC Sounds.
Partner Jess with canine partner Xolani feature in the April issue of Your Dog magazine, on newsstands now.
Partner Jonathan with canine partner Georgia appeared on TV show of Unbeatable, broadcast on Wednesday 5 April at 4pm on BBC1 and available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

A huge thank you and well done to all our wonderful partnerships for helping to raise awareness of Canine Partners.

Fantastic fundraising

Our community across the country have been hard at work raising vital funds this year. We have a couple of highlights to share here:

Partner Elaine with canine partner Bentley took on the challenge of 400 lengths in four weeks at her local swimming pool in Brighton, to raise funds for Canine Partners. Featuring in the Brighton Argus in January, Elaine has smashed her target of £500, raising over £2,100! Find out more about Elaine’s challenge here.

The Toyota Manufacturing UK Charitable Trust made a generous donation this year towards equipment for our Midlands Training Centre. Our dogs receive regular physiotherapy check ups throughout their training to help support their strength and mobility development as working dogs. The physiotherapist may prescribe PEMF (Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Fields) therapy so the team have been able to put this fantastic donation to good use straight away, purchasing specialist mats to enable this therapy to be provided. The dogs are able to use the mats at the Training Centre, 2-3 times a day for a few weeks, to help promote tissue repair as part of their physiotherapy plan.

Brilliant Corporates

Canine Partners is fortunate to be supported by fantastic corporate organisations who give their time, energy and funds to support our charity.

Caremark Ltd

We were delighted to be invited to the annual conference of Caremark Ltd, our new Corporate Partner in January, held at the world famous Silverstone Race Course. Over 300 franchisee owners from across the UK were introduced to the work of Canine Partners with our demonstration team showcasing how our amazing dogs support their disabled partner. Caremark Ltd provide home care assistance to adults and older people and David Glover, Caremark’s Joint CEO says, “I am extremely excited about this partnership with Canine Partners. Their values are completely aligned with ours and we are very proud to be supporting a charity that helps people in the same way as ourselves.”

Purina

Purina are a long standing corporate partner of Canine Partners and we are very grateful for their ongoing support for the charity. We joined the Purina Annual Conference in London where we engaged with Purina employees and celebrated the special partnership we have with them. There are exciting plans in the pipeline with Purina this summer – watch this space!

High Five to a 2022 Marathon!

Initially I got a place for the London Marathon in 2021, but I tore my calf muscle and had to defer. In the end though this led to me running for Canine Partners; me and my boyfriend became ‘puppy parents’ earlier this year after I chatted to the lovely ladies at a Canine Partners stand at Dogfest in Guildford. I didn’t realise how much it took to raise an assistance dog, so thought I’d use my ballot place and fundraise for a charity which has quickly become a large part of my life.

Training hadn’t gone as I had hoped. For one reason and another, this year has been tough on my physical and mental health, but I got a place in the ballot for the London Marathon the first time of trying, and I wasn’t going to give that up in a hurry! With train strikes the day before the marathon threatening chaos, I went up early and stayed with my cousin who thoughtfully moved back to the UK from Australia just a couple of months ago and chose to live 20 minutes walk from the marathon start (thanks Mel!).

On Sunday morning I think I must have had the quietest walk of any participant, up side streets (not the main routes from the station) until I turned a corner to see thousands of people all nervous and excited, ready to get going! Once I’d dropped off my bag, I was ready to go and join my wave – I was setting off in the final wave of the day (I’m not fast!).

Before I knew it we were off. The first few miles were a blur; so many people, supporters cheering, dogs to high five along the way! My cousin met me at the 5 mile marker to cheer me on, and I was still feeling fresh. Running around Cutty Sark in the sunshine was a definite highlight of the first half of the route.

The biggest highlight of the day, even for a slower runner, are the crowds over Tower Bridge. It’s the epicentre of the charity support on the route and the roar of everyone shouting your name and encouraging you brought me to tears (something that has never happened in an event before!).

At 18 miles my cousin met me again – this time with mini cheddars which were a godsend, as I’d been surviving on sweet stuff and was fed up with it by this stage. A quick snack break later and I had to get moving again before I stiffened up.

Before I knew it 20 miles were done, and there were only 6 to go! They were slow, painful miles, but coming down the embankment there was such great relief and emotion in knowing that this was it – I was going to finish it no matter what!

Turning into the finish straight I picked up whatever pace I had left and ran as if I hadn’t just done a marathon! I high fived everyone sitting in the hospitality area, ducked under that finish line, and got my well earned medal.

I managed to raise enough for 2 starter puppy packs, which is double what I set out to raise so I’m incredibly touched by the generosity of those who sponsored me. As Canine Partners is a small charity, I hope that if anyone reading this gets a ballot place in the London Marathon they would consider fundraising for such a wonderful organisation.

Just to top it all off – my boyfriend has got a place in the 2023 London Marathon through the ballot and will also be fundraising for Canine Partners! Now just to persuade him to dress up as one of the pups….

Could you fundraise for Canine Partners? To find out more and get inspiration for your next adventure, please visit caninepartners.org.uk/take-on-a-challenge

One man and his motorcycle – Gary’s fundraising story

A 54 year old criminal defence lawyer, Gary had always been interested in taking on the ‘Iron Butt UK’ challenge, a motorcycle ride that visits all four corners of the United Kingdom in 36 hours. Gary often rides long distances and wanted to add an extra dimension to his challenge, so decided to fundraise in memory of his own dog Sampson.

Gary was inspired by seeing the bond his mother has with her dog, Jake, and the joy he brings her and he knows our partnerships have that same special relationship. “I was greatly moved by the bond I could see between the Canine Partners assistance dogs and their partners. It’s a wonderful, special bond. I just had to get involved and help.”

Read Gary’s story:

As well as the main challenge, I set myself a personal target to cover 1,000 miles in 24 hours. And at the 24-hour point, I had completed 1,236 miles. I was really pleased and whilst I didn’t need to do any additional training for the challenge as I ride long distances all the time, I did need to prepare myself mentally. Riding a motorbike on your own through the night, almost non-stop for 36 hours, is tougher than it sounds!

On the road

The most difficult leg of my trip was from Lowestoft to Land’s End, which took nine hours. I had to keep my mind sharp as it was pitch black, there were no motorways for the second half of the leg, unlit roads, and all kinds of hazards. Riding across Bodmin Moor at 3:30 in the morning, through the mist under a huge full moon is a sight that will be forever be etched in my memory. I kept telling myself it’s all for the doggies!

Vital fundraising

When I set up my JustGiving page, I was hoping to raise £500. The donations kept coming and I started to hope that I could reach £1,000 and they continued until I had raised a total of £1,974 and a friend kindly donated to get me to £2,000. It didn’t stop there and my final fundraising total, with Gift Aid, reached almost £2,500. I was astounded and incredibly emotional that people were so generous, particularly during a very difficult time for all of us.

Amazing achievement

I’ve been riding bikes for 37 years and this challenge was the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. However it was much physically tougher than I had expected it to be. I completed the challenge in 33 hours and 22 minutes, so I even had time to spare! I’m very proud of that.

Could you fundraise for Canine Partners, like Gary? To find out more and get inspiration for your next adventure, please visit caninepartners.org.uk/take-on-a-challenge.