Sharlah has been a volunteer for Canine Partners for over 13 years, including as a volunteer Speaker and a Puppy Parent volunteer. She is currently looking after her 10^th puppy-in-training. This is her story:

I wanted to become a volunteer for Canine Partners as my friend was a Puppy Parent volunteer at the time. They suggested I could do it with my family as we  love dogs and had decided not to get another pet dog after our last one passed away at 17-years-old. Joining Canine Partners meant we could have all the benefits of having a dog whilst also knowing it would hopefully go on to change someone’s life.

We live in a rural area, just a short drive to the city of Hull and nearby market towns, so we can take the puppy to experience the sights, smells and sounds in all areas. I am at home most of the time as when I started as a volunteer my daughter was in primary school, but now she is in her final year of an Animal Training and Behaviour degree – she wants to become an Assistance Dog Trainer!

What I find most rewarding about being a Puppy Parent volunteer is seeing all of the pups flourish as they grow older. It makes my heart literally burst with joy. I have made some lifelong friends through Canine Partners and now I have friends from other puppy training areas around the country. I enjoy our classes with Canine Partners’ expert trainers, as there is always something new to learn or improve on and every pup is different.

I would encourage anyone to join Canine Partners as a Puppy Parent volunteer. It is hard and sometimes challenging with both happy and sad tears, but the rewards are amazing as you are making new friends, both the two and four-legged variety. Plus, I never miss the opportunity for tea and cake!

What does it take for a life to transform? It starts with a puppy, adorable and warm. Could you love and care for the UK’s future assistance dogs?

Please visit caninepartners.org.uk/puppy-parents to find out more.

Rachel, a mum-of-two, is a volunteer Fosterer for Canine Partners, who is currently fostering her 19th dog, David. This is her story:

I have been volunteering as an overnight (B&B) Fosterer since 2016. David has been with us full time since 23 March 2019, when we first went into lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During this last year he has been into the centre on a few occasions when needed but now he has completed his training and is ready to go to his partner when restrictions allow. Despite not having that face-to-face contact on a regular basis, we have still been fully supported by the Advanced Trainers with any issues we may have, items we need for David and any training they have wanted us to work on at home.

I decided to volunteer as we lost our wonderful black Labrador, Murphy, back in 2014. He was 16 years old and left a huge hole in our family. We were devastated and said we could never put ourselves through that type of loss again. However, a couple of years on we desperately missed having a dog around but still didn’t feel we were ready to commit to having another dog of our own. We have a busy work and family life, so we aren’t in a position to have our own dog.

We researched Canine Partners and the amazing work they did, which led to us learning that they needed volunteers to foster their incredible dogs in training. For us this was an easy decision, we got our dog fix without the full-time commitment and at the same time we could help a charity we believed in. As they say, the rest is history!

I continue to volunteer as an overnight Fosterer because of all the amazing dogs we get to look after. They all have their own personalities and traits; it’s been a wonderful journey that we have had with all of them. It’s also the knowing that what we are doing is helping to change people’s lives for the better.

Being a Fosterer is exciting and rewarding. We have learnt so much from the fantastic trainers and met some wonderful people. Sometimes, it can be hard work depending on the dog you have but the rewards far outweigh any problems.

We always start off the day with a cuddle, then it’s out for a ‘better go now’ before breakfast. ‘Better go now’ is the command for the dogs to go to the toilet. Most dogs just fit in with you as you go about your day; they follow you about to see what you are up to or just chill out on their bed. If it’s a working day for the dog, then we drop them off at the Midlands Training Centre near Osgathorpe, Leicestershire, and pick them up at the end of the day. They then come back home for playtime, dinner and to just chill out. When they’re with us it’s their time to rest and recuperate, we don’t do any training with them.

Being a Fosterer is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. To watch the dog grow and develop over the 17 weeks they are with us is fantastic, and to think that you have played a part in that is very humbling.

There are lots of things I find rewarding about being a Fosterer, but probably the most rewarding is when we meet the dog again at a ‘Partnership Ceremony’. This is where you go to celebrate the partnership about a year after the dog goes home with their human partner. The partner usually says some words and you get to meet them too. To see the bond between the dog and the partner, and to hear the partner’s story of how the dog has transformed their life, is enough to bring a tear to anyone’s eye.

Other’s should sign up to be a volunteer overnight Fosterer because if you love dogs then this is one of the most amazing and rewarding things you will ever do.

There is no cost to you, you get all the enjoyment of a dog and you get to be a part of changing someone’s life forever.

You need to listen and follow the advice of from the Advanced Trainers, as they are amazing people who know what is expected from a canine partner for them to succeed. Also, do not expect that you will get a perfect dog to look after. Although they are being trained as an assistance dog, they are still dogs, they are still young and they are still learning. Be patient with them, praise them for good behaviour, and above all – enjoy them.

Would you like to experience the wonders of looking after one of our dogs in Advanced Training who will go on to help transform the life of a disabled person? Find out more at caninepartners.org/foster.

After losing the last of her family dogs, Emma joined the Canine Partner’s volunteer Fosterer community back 2018. Since then, she’s been on a rewarding journey. This is her story:

“I have been fostering for Canine Partners since November 2018. My voluntary role is as a Fosterer for dogs in advanced training at the Southern Training Centre near Midhurst. This includes fostering a canine partner in my home from when the dog arrives into advanced training until he or she hopefully passes the course and is matched with a partner.

With the current model of training, all dogs live with their Fosterer 24/7 rather than living at the Southern Training Centre all week and just being fostered at weekends. Each dog has an assigned Advanced Trainer who works closely with each Fosterer and they will either come to your house to work with the dog or meet at a mutually convenient location for different training purposes. The dogs will usually be required to attend the training centre for two or three days a week and on those days I drop off and pick up my dog at the start and end of the day. The rest of the time, he is at home with me where I continue to reinforce the training he has been doing and also to work on any new tasks which have been introduced, under the guidance of the Advanced Trainer.

My Advanced Trainer provides huge amounts of support and guidance to me so I never feel as if I am doing everything on my own. She is always at the end of the phone or email if I have a question or concern, or if I am struggling with a particular issue in relation to the dog.

As a Fosterer, I carry out general obedience training, specific training tasks that have been demonstrated to me, walking and exercising, grooming and taking care of the dog’s general everyday needs. All of these things are explained by our Advanced Trainer in detail, I am not just handed a dog and expected to get on with it!

My current foster dog came to live with us at the beginning of March when he was around 21 months old. I was prepared for him to take a while to settle in, but he amazed us with the way he took it all in his stride. Other than a little bit of crying on the first night, he settled really quickly and fitted into our family as if he had always been there.

He loves people and other dogs and really enjoys playing with his toys, although they have a very short life if he is left alone with them! He has excellent house manners and is like my constant shadow. It will be hard to say goodbye to him when he moves on but we have loved having him and he will be greatly missed.

I started volunteering for Canine Partners after we lost the last of our family dogs. They had left a huge gap in our lives but we didn’t feel ready for the time and emotional commitment of having another dog straight away.

A few years ago, I saw a demonstration by Canine Partners at a local dog show and it made a lasting impression on me. I have been receiving their newsletter over the years and, through reading that, discovered that there were various ways of volunteering for the charity. I felt the role of fostering best suited what I was looking for. It enabled me to still be involved with dogs without the full time commitment that a pet requires. This has changed as a result of the pandemic and although the fostering has become full time (whereas before it was weekends only), ultimately, you always know that the dog is not yours and it will be moving on at some point in the future.

The most rewarding thing for me about volunteering for Canine Partners has been the sense of purpose which having these incredible dogs in my life has given me. My children are grown up and have either left or about to leave home, so I have quite a lot of time on my hands.

The thought that in some way I have helped one of these amazing dogs on their journey to transform someone else’s life is extremely rewarding.

Volunteering for Canine Partners is something I would strongly recommend others to do as it a wonderful community to be involved with. It is a great way to make friends with like-minded people and also if someone is a dog lover or has owned their own dogs previously, I have found it extremely beneficial in building my own dog handling skills and knowledge. Ultimately, getting involved with Canine Partners is fundamentally a way of helping other people live an independent life.

Although the arrival of Covid-19 has increased the commitment level required from Fosterers, it has actually been a very positive thing in helping to get through these very challenging times. Having a dog to look after gives you a reason to get out and about and just get on with things. The two dogs I have had since the start of the pandemic have been proof of that. They have both been extremely welcome and much loved temporary additions to our family.  Although it is not always plain sailing, the trainers will always guide you in the right direction. I only wish I had volunteered sooner!

Would you like to experience the wonders of looking after one of our dogs in Advanced Training who will go on to help transform the life of a disabled person? Find out more at caninepartners.org/foster.

Gillian is a volunteer Fosterer for Canine Partners and has fostered over 20 dogs since 2017. This is her story:

I have been volunteering as a Fosterer for Canine Partners since January 2017. I foster dogs during their advanced training and provide holiday cover for other Fosterers. When the dogs leave their Puppy Parent volunteers and begin their advanced training, they are fostered by local families who look after them.  My role is to make a comfortable and relaxing environment for them where they are loved and cared for when they are not training. It has been lovely having a dog during the week as well as weekends since lockdown, as they really become part of the family and seem to enjoy having a familiar place to relax after a hard day’s work! They all have different characters and never fail to make us smile and laugh.

We also help the Advanced Trainers by practicing their basic commands and obedience in a home setting and reporting any issues we encounter. We receive a lot of help and support from the trainers and they are always available if we have any problems out of hours.

I started volunteering after a colleague at work recommended going to an Information Session. We had recently moved to the countryside very close to the Midlands Training Centre and were thinking of having a dog. I was so impressed by what I saw that I signed up straight away.

My most recent foster dog was a black Labrador called Lizzie who came all the way from Scotland! It was hard for Lizzie and her puppy parents to say goodbye as they had been together longer than normal as a result of lockdown. It didn’t take long for Lizzie to relax and she quickly became part of the family. Lizzie loved living in the countryside and looked forward every morning to a run in the fields next to our house. On her free days she liked nothing more than to chill in the garden and take in all the country smells! She had a beautiful gentle nature and was very popular with all the neighbours and their children.

Volunteering for Canine Partners allows us to experience the joys of having a dog whilst also still having some flexibility if we wanted to go away on holiday. It also meant we could do something positive, helping to transform the lives of those who are living with a disability.

A couple of years after I started volunteering I was very lucky to see this first hand when a new work colleague came along who was on the waiting list for a canine partner. It was incredible to see what a difference her new partner made and what an amazing bond they now have. It was also a real bonus having one of these wonderful dogs in the office every day!

The first couple of weeks can be challenging for the dogs as they go through a huge change in their lives. It is really rewarding to help them settle in and help them flourish into the amazing dogs they become. You can’t help but feel a huge sense of pride when they complete their training and move on to become fully fledged canine partners. It can be hard to say goodbye but when you read the stories from their new partners about how they have transformed their lives, you know it is worth it.

Canine Partners is a wonderful charity to volunteer for. All the staff are incredibly skilled and the welfare of the dogs is at the heart of everything they do.

They are very friendly and provide plenty of support to help us care for and manage the dogs. It is a truly rewarding role whilst at the same time you get to have a fabulous dog living in your home! I highly recommend fostering to anyone considering it. It was the best thing I did and I hope to continue for many years to come. Our home is such a happier place for fostering a Canine Partners dog.

Would you like to experience the wonders of looking after one of our dogs in Advanced Training who will go on to help transform the life of a disabled person? Find out more at caninepartners.org/foster.

When Golden Retriever Carmen was born on 11 June 2017 she had no idea that, to someone living with a physical disability, she was a bundle of hope and that she would grow up to one day become a life-transforming canine partner assistance dog.

On a warm August day, at just eight weeks old, Carmen was placed in the East Dorset home of a volunteer called Graham.

73-year-old Graham said: “I remember collecting a bundle of fluff named Carmen and taking her home. I was surprised how quickly she settled in and I begun teaching her basic obedience such as learning to sit, lie down, roll over and wait, plus toilet training and walking nicely on a lead.”

Being a Puppy Parent volunteer

Vital Puppy Parent volunteers like Graham, who take care of the charity’s precious puppies during the first year of their training, must be up for the challenges that go along with the many rewards of the role. Canine Partners volunteers are committed, consistent, compassionate and kind, with a good dose of patience to guide and encourage a little pup while it learns the ropes and begins its journey to becoming a future life-changer.

Graham, who helps to socialise and train the puppy in his care for up to 14 months, said: “As with all the reward-based training we do alongside the charity’s specialist Puppy Team trainers, we had short and fun sessions each day. We had many adventures together and Carmen experienced various places she would be likely to encounter as a fully trained assistance dog such as public transport, shops, crowded places, heavy traffic, hospitals, lifts and church services to name a few.”

Moving on to Advanced Training

While it’s a tug on the heartstrings for each Puppy Parent volunteer to see the pup they’ve nurtured move on to the next stage of training at one of the charity’s two national training centres, many describe later seeing the dog transforming someone’s life as the only reward they need.

When Carmen went into Advanced Training, Graham already had another of the charity’s eight week old Golden Retriever puppies waiting at home for him to start the journey all over again with. Graham said: “When I handed Carmen over to her Advanced Trainer, she trotted off confidently with her head held high and tail wagging so I was very proud of her and knew my job was done. The reward of being Carmen’s Puppy Parent was the sense of achievement and being part of the Canine Partners team working towards her becoming a successful assistance dog.”

Being partnered with Wendy

After taking part in the charity’s specialist Advanced Training programme, Carmen was successfully matched with Wendy Hilling, who was on the charity’s waiting list for an assistance dog.

Wendy has a rare genetic condition called Dystrophic Recessive Epidermolysis Bullosa, which causes open wounds and blisters at the slightest touch. It affects her from the inside out, with her skin easily coming off and scarring from the trauma.

71-year-old Wendy, from Lancashire, said: “I had previously had a canine partner called Edward, lovingly known as Teddy, but when he retired and became my pet dog I knew I couldn’t manage without another assistance dog and I could not bear to lose my independence again.”

Carmen is trained to help Wendy get undressed and dressed, will help to load and unload the washing machine and will also hand a purse or credit card to the cashier in shops, alongside other tasks which help Wendy to avoid trauma to her skin. Carmen has even learnt to wake up Wendy’s husband if she stops breathing in the night – something which Canine Partners did not teach but she has instead learnt the cues for due to the pair’s strong bond.

Wendy, who was matched with Carmen in August 2019, said: “Carmen is my hands and anything I need she does for me. I have a shrunken gullet due to internal scarring, which means I can not bend over as the acid reflux will blister my throat causing more problems swallowing, so Carmen picks up anything I drop – often without being asked!”

The Covid-19 pandemic

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Wendy was classed as high risk and had to shield. Sadly, during the first lockdown in 2020, her pet dog Teddy passed away.

Wendy said: “Not only could we not go to the vets with Teddy because of the Covid-19 restrictions but I am unable to get upset or cry as it affects my swallowing and breathing. I fell into the deepest black hole of grief and I am sure I could never of got through losing Teddy, and losing a close family member shortly afterwards, without Carmen and needing to focus on her.”

Training dogs like Carmen

Carmen is one of over 430 working canine partner assistance dogs in the UK today, all of which had a Puppy Parent volunteer help to give them the best start in life.

Graham, who is currently looking fter his 8th puppy for the charity, said: “When I see photos of Carmen working it makes me very proud and I am reminded of what a positive difference these amazing dogs make to people’s lives, which inspires me to do it again with another puppy.”

To transform a puppy, and a person living with a physical disability’s life too, it takes someone special. Could it be you?

You can help raise the UK’s next generation of assistance dogs. To find out more about becoming a Puppy Parent volunteer, please visit caninepartners.org.uk/puppyparents.