Sponsor a life-changing partnership

Our Gift of Independence sponsorship programme gives you the opportunity to play a vital role in creating and supporting a life-changing partnership.

Sponsorship can start from when we first source a puppy right through to its retirement. You can follow a dog through its training via regular updates and hear how much of a difference they make.

There are several stages to our sponsorship programme:

Puppy training – £16,000

Our puppies begin their journey at 8 weeks old in the home of one of our specially trained puppy parent volunteers. This is where they learn the essentials of socialisation by visiting lots of new and exciting places that they will need to be comfortable with as adult assistance dog.

Advanced training for a young dog- £13,000

At 16 months, our puppies head to our National Training Centre for advanced training. Here, they learn the special skills needed to support someone with a disability, such as picking up dropped phones and keys. While training, they stay with local foster families. Back at the centre, our dog welfare team looks after them in our purpose-built kennels.

Forming a partnership – £11,000

Finding the perfect match is important! Applicants go through a careful process where we ask about their home life, needs, and support network. Once approved, they join our waiting list. When a dog has been identified, we invite them for a “first date” at our centre. This helps our trainers see how the dog interacts and ensures everyone’s happy. Then, a two-week on-site training course teaches them how to care for their new canine partner.

Continued support until retirement – £10,000

After the training course, they head home as a team! We keep supporting them throughout their partnership (lasting about 10 years). Our local aftercare team visits them regularly, and there’s a 24/7 hotline for any questions.

For more information about our partnership sponsorship program please contact us, on 01530 225956 giftofindependence@caninepartners.org.uk.