Canine Partners

Our February meeting included a visit from Canine partners who gave us a very interesting talk about all that they do. Penny told us that there are currently 400 dogs supporting people all over the country and each is specifically trained to help their partner whatever their needs. She explained the careful selection process for both the people and the dogs, matching lifestyles and characters of both. Puppy parents look after the dog for 16 months, ensuring that it is trained to a good level before it starts 17 weeks of specialised training. At this point they are matched to a partner and will spend another 2 weeks doing intensive training before the dog goes home with it’s partner. Once the partnership is established the charity continues to support the partners throughout their time together. In recent years Canine Partners have established a selection of ‘Brood Bitches’ who provide 86% of their working dogs. Fund raising remains essential as they estimate that every dog will cost approximately £30,000 throughout it’s lifetime.

Penny’s enthusiasm and passion about this charity was very clear and inspiring, and many of our members were interested to find out more about this excellent charity. Katharine and Mo provided delicious refreshments and the evening ended with the raffle and flower of the month.