A ground-breaking partnership between Dogs for Good and Bracknell Forest Council was showcased at Crufts as part of the charity’s milestone year celebrating 30 years of transforming the lives of adults and children with disabilities.
In addition to assistance dog partnerships, Dogs for Good has led the way in developing how dogs can help people with additional needs. In order to help more people and recognising that not everyone is able to benefit from the help of a dog 24:7, the charity now provides Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI) dogs that work with specialist handlers in settings such as hospitals, schools and social care settings. Through this work, Dogs for Good supports people with a wide range of conditions including learning disabilities, dementia, physical disabilities and autism.
Bracknell Forest Council partnered with the charity in 2017 with the aim of providing intervention sessions with a specially trained dog for people with learning disabilities or autism.
Cllr Dale Birch, executive member for adult services, health and housing at Bracknell Forest Council said “By working with Dogs for Good, we have been able to transform the lives of people with learning disabilities or autism, enabling them to independently carry out tasks they were unable to do before, such as crossing a road by themselves, using public transport or socialising in group environments.”
“It is fascinating to hear how the specialist team have enabled some of our most vulnerable people to learn new or adapted behaviours with a little help from man’s best friend. I am looking forward to seeing the project progress to allow us to support more people to get the best out of life.”