Assistance dog charity in Cork seeks new premises for training

As it celebrates its 10th anniversary and the birth of its 200th puppy, an assistance dog charity in Cork is urgently seeking a new premises.

The only charity of its kind in Europe, Dogs for the Disabled says it has been training children how to work with their assistance dogs in shopping centres because its current rented building is too small.

As the demand for its service grows, the charity is under increasing pressure to find a more suitable location, according to Dogs for the Disabled founder Jennifer Dowler. “The problem is that it’s not disability friendly and we need a proper facility to train. The reality is, we need space.”

More than 80% of the charity’s clients are children between the ages of six and 12, living with severe physical disabilities that affect their independence.

The current premises used by the charity is too small to train its dogs and clients together, and there is no green space available for the dogs, Ms Dowler said.

“It just comes down to costs, it really comes down to the funding,” she said, adding that finding a suitable location can prove very difficult and expensive.

Although it costs the charity €15,000 to train and support each assistance dog, each dog is partnered with a disabled person at no cost to the recipient.

The charity receives no government funding and relies completely on sponsorship, donations and fundraising.

Meet Katie our 200th Pup, she will be joining us on our Open Day in Togher, Cork to Celebrate our 10 th birthday from 12 to 4. 21st April pic.twitter.com/mYisfVyTEi

— DogsForTheDisabled (@DogsforDisable1) April 8, 2017

The charity trains its clients how to work with the dogs in shopping centres, as they need smooth surfaces in order for the children to take their first steps with the dogs. But training here is not ideal as there are plenty of distractions for the many young children taking their first steps with their assistance dogs, Ms Dowler said.

There is a five-year waiting list for an assistance dog and the charity has just taken on three more staff members, she added.

“It’s become more pressure to train the dogs and we really need a premises. We have loads of children waiting. We need to produce more dogs, more trainers and we need a facility to do that,” she said.

“It needs to happen, it’s so desperately needed.”

Assistance dogs are trained to assist the physically disabled to carry out a range of practical tasks in order to achieve greater independence.

These everyday tasks include opening and closing doors, picking up dropped items, emptying the washing machine and helping a child with severe walking difficulties to walk with greater ease and balance.

“It’s a simple thing, but it’s amazing how the simple things really work.”

Disability can lead to isolation, loss of confidence and feelings of low self-esteem, Ms Dowler said, adding that assistance dogs help to combat this.

Dogs for the Disabled patron, Munster captain Peter O’Mahony, said he was delighted to be involved with such a hardworking group of people. “I’m delighted to be involved with such a great charity that does a lot of good work,” he said. “It’s lovely to see the benefits the dogs make in people’s lives.”

He called in yesterday to meet the charity’s 200th puppy, Katie, and gifted one boy, Patrick, his RBS Man of the Match medal from Ireland’s Six Nations win over England.

Dogs for the Disabled will hold a celebration on April 21 at the charity’s headquarters, Summer Lea House, Togher Road, Togher, Cork, from noon to 4pm in honour of its 10-year anniversary.