The Assistance Dog Blog

Crufts

2009-03-08T16:03:00.003Z

Dogs for the Disabled is 21 years old this year and I went to Crufts with Andy to help out on their new stand on friday. There were so many dogs there [all very well behaved] and dog treats as far as my eyes could see, sadly I had to stay on my lead but got to sample a few as they were given to me by various stall holders ....... yummy!

At Crufts there is a Friends for Life Competition, presented by the Kennel Club, is the search for Britain’s ultimate hero – of the four legged variety.

A police dog; a hearing dog that has been placed with a seven year old child; a search and rescue dog who found the body of Doctor David Kelly; a regular companion dog that became a woman’s hero after she fled domestic violence; a dog that helped a lady achieve her dreams despite suffering from a life-long illness and a assistance dog that is a former army hero’s new best friend – all are amongst those searching for your votes in order to be crowned as Crufts Friends for Life Winner 2009.

The assistance dog is 'Farley' from Dogs for the Disabled who helps former Army Hero Steve Gill. Steve, who lost both legs and an eye in a bomb blast in Belfast when he was serving with the British Army, was partnered with Farley in 2006.

See Farley and Steve in a video here:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAnZIACPbn8

[voting details at end of video, comp closes tonight 8th March '09]

Catch you soon

Henry

Every little helps!

2009-03-03T08:38:00.002Z

darn, went to the bed shop, ordered a bed but its 2-3 weeks for delivery and my test run :-( out at a local branch of Tescos for a few hours today to help with a collection, hopefully Itll not be toooooo cold!

New Poll

2009-02-28T11:56:00.002Z

the last poll showed that yellow labs were your favourite colour, this ones a little different and a bit of fun too .......... Just off out to help choose a new bed for Andy's daughter today, hmmmmmm wonder if they'll let me test it out for them ;-)

Talks and Stuff

2009-02-19T11:16:00.002Z

I've done two talks this week and the groups were from Probus [retired professional businessmen] and the WI [Womens Institute] they are fun to do and sometimes I get some tea to drink too. Had to vsit my vet this week, for my yearly jabs and general check-up, she said I was in very good health and a good weight & condition too :=) she gave my ears a lovely clean and massage too ..... I loved it!

Credit Crunch hits Dogs too!

2009-02-13T15:15:00.003Z

I thought all the talk of this 'credit crunch' was about the release of a new dog food until I took a look at the newspaper!!

More Talks and Fun

2009-02-02T15:11:00.000Z

Andy has been giving quite a few talks for the charity already this year, they can be evenings or at lunchtime, I usually sleep through his bit as I've heard it all before ....... and at the end I show everyone what I can do by pushing down wheelchair footplates, picking up keys or a pen and barking to call for help, I usually get a treat after these talks so I always do my best !

Bettys 90th Birthday

2009-01-22T15:06:00.000Z

a lovely lady called Betty who lives close to us had a birthday tea for her 90th birthday and she asked her friends to give money to dogs for the disabled instead of buying her presents!!! she raised over £200 for the charity and I got to go to the party!

thanks Betty :)

My Holidays!

2009-01-14T15:01:00.002Z

Andy has gone away with a spinal injury charity called the back up trust, he heklps run a skiing course for people with spinal cord injuries, if you go to the link below you'll see the sort of thing he gets up to ........ its far too cold for me [-20] so I go an stay with friends locally who have dogs and take me of lots of walks too

http://www.spinal-injury.net/ski-kart.htm

Henry

New years resolutions

2009-01-12T14:58:00.000Z

Happy New Year to everyone who read this post, I made a resolution to put more posts online this year but so far I've not been very good at sticking to it ...... whoops! However I'm going to try my best to update my dog blog at least once a week from now on

Its been a while .......

2008-10-27T16:02:00.002Z

Sorry not to have posted for a while . . . I've been busy enjoying the rest of what passes as an 'english summer' managed to get a lot of fun times in though, swimming in lakes and rivers being my favourites. I've been with Andy on several talks, fundraisers and collections too.

Andy is always telling me just how important I am to his independence but I just want to help him its fun and theres always the suprise of a treat or too

Henry

New tasks ......

2008-09-27T12:07:00.001+01:00

We have had some big green boxes delivered by the council to sort out tins and plastic now, so i'm busy learning what goes in what box, its fun and sometimes I get to run round the garden with an empty plastic milk bottle too.......

Andy keeps telling me I'm green as well but I'm sure I'm still yellow

Henry

A Charity Ball for Me!

2008-05-27T11:52:00.002+01:00

I went to a charity ball on Saturday night organised by Scotts Veterinary Clinic [Bedford] at the Bedford Blues Rugby Club. This was there first fundraising ball and it was a lot of fun. They raised a huge amount of money on the night which is going to be given to 'Dogs for the Disabled' and the 'Wildlife Trust'

Everyone made a lot of fuss over me and I felt very welcome, the live jazz music was quite loud but I managed to sleep through most of it, I only wish I was sharing the meal it looked and smelt fab!

Well done everyone at Scotts, these events take a lot of hard work and organising and thanks for thinking of 'Dogs for the Disabled'

Henry

'Pounds for Hounds'

2008-05-02T15:45:00.005+01:00

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are ok,

I probably wouldn't be here today helping Andy, if it hadn't been for the fundraising efforts of a good friend Marie and her wonderful assistance dog Venny.

Sadly Venny died suddenly aged 11 earlier this year leaving my friends life devestated. She misses him dearly and is currently without all the help these wonderful dogs are able to give.

Andy and I came up with the 'Pounds for Hounds' idea to help raise money for a new assistance dog for Marie. The idea is similar to a street collection but on the internet. If we can get this web address and story to as many people as possible and they can each donate £1 then we might be able to reach our target :-) Please feel free to copy and paste text from this page and the justgiving page below

How You Can Help
If you can help by sending this web address to your family friends and email/online contacts together with the story and idea that should get the ball rolling

http://www.justgiving.com/pounds4hounds

Pennies for Puppies = Pounds for Hounds
Venny was a wonderful ambassador for the charity and raised a huge amount of money in his own right.

The cost of placing a 2 year old assistance dog ie estimated to be £5,000 for its training and lifelong placement with a disabled person.

We have set a very ambitious target of £5,000 for this fundrasing effort to fully cover the cost of Marie's new assistance dog.

Thanks for reading and catch u soon

Henry :o)

Yippee ...... Springs Coming

2008-02-29T12:13:00.002Z

I'm sure its getting warmer and the days seem longer , can't wait as I love these months ...... longer walks and more swimming too .... yippee

don't forget to watch crufts in march too, and look out for 'Percy' in the friends for life award hes a very special assistance dog, one of the first in England trained to help a child with autism ..... it looks like hes making a very good job of it too ..... the full story should be featured each day the programme is broadcast

Crufts 2008 BBC 2 March 6th - 8:00pm
Crufts 2008 BBC 2 March 7th - 8:00pm
Crufts 2008 BBC 2 March 8th - 8:00pm
Crufts 2008 BBC 2 March 9th - 5:15pm
Crufts 2008 BBC 2 March 9th - 7:00pm

You can vote for Percy when the show releases the phone numbers, he's already a winner in my eyes as are the other nominees

catch u soon

Henry :o)

Sad News

2008-02-15T11:53:00.001Z

Hi Everyone,

for those of you who have read my earlier posts, you'll have heard me talk about 'Venny' the first Cambridgshire assistance dog from dogs for the disabled. He's always kept me on the straight and narrow, setting a perfect example of just how an assistance dog should behave, in fact he was known locally as the 'Ambassadog' helping raise many thousands of pounds for the charity too. In fact without his hard work, I might not be here at all helping Andy.

Sadly Venny became very ill early in the new year and was put to sleep on the 4th January. His owner Marie who I still see a lot was devastated as was I. Venny was 12 years old

Theres a memorial fund at the charity set up in Vennys name with the purpose of funding another dog with a name beginning with V in his honour, if you can help with a donation please contact the charity directly at:-

Dogs for the Disabled

heres a couple of pitures of Venny a true loyal friend and an amazing assistance dog too ........

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2007-12-21T21:01:00.000Z

I would like to wish everyone a very happy christmas and a great new year too. I've been out a lot helping Andy recently and I think I saw a new cuddly dog toy and a doggy stocking being bought !! I hope they are for me :-) guess I'll have to wait and see ......

Andy was really pleased just recently, although he's got a spinal injury he can walk a few steps with crutches but he's really slow and can fall over easily. He hasn't fallen for over 18 months, then the other night we camne in at around 11pm when it was raining, I think Andy's crutches slipped on the kitchen floor because there was a louud crash and when I went into the kitchen he was lying there and because his arms and muscles are so weak he cant get up or move. I have been trained to help him if this happens so Andy asked me to get the phone, which I did and he was able to ring his neighbours to come and help him up ... he had a few bruises but apart from that was ok ......

I Knew I had got it right because I got extra treats at 11.15pm which never normally happens, and lots of praise and hugs too .....

catch up with you in the new year .....

have a good one

Henry

Halloween and Fireworks Night

2007-10-30T11:25:00.000Z

Hi Everyone, personally I'm ok with loud bangs and fireworks which have started already around where I live. I know many of my canine, feline and other friends get very scared at this time of year ....... well hang on in there it'll be over as quick as it started ...... Henry

Updates .. Updates

2007-10-24T11:29:00.000+01:00

Hi All, hope all is well with my readers and friends. Autumn is finally here, my favourite time of year ..... its great up the local woods playing in the leaves and the squirrels are easier to see, still haven't been able to catch one though! Visited the Kennel Club in london to represent the charity recently , amazing place lots of posh pictures of dogs on the walls and a whole library related to dogs too!!

got two walks around st james park too, rather large house overlooks the park .. think Andy said a queen lives there? oh well it would be too big for me I get lost at home :)

Henry

Hi Everyone

2007-09-17T12:57:00.000+01:00

Haven't posted for a while so apologies .... I have been having a great time with lots of great walks. Usually around this time of year its got a lot colder but this recent run of warmer weather has been very much appreciated. Andy finds it difficult to get a jacket on and off but I can help him! Its much quicker to go out for the walk if he doesn't need a coat on though.

The weekend before last Andy held an event in the front garden of the house called 'the dogs breakfast' to raise money for dogs for the disabled. It was a real shame I didn't get to try the breakfast, as it was bacon and sausage rolls. Still, the event was very well attended and raised £1048!

I'm going back to Banbury, where I was trained tomorrow with Andy. I still get really excited going back there, there's lots of friends I get to see again and lots of memories of all my training there when I was younger. I can't wait!!

See you soon .......

Klaus and Me

2007-08-29T14:48:00.000+01:00

Here's a picture of Klaus and Me

Thanks for taking part in the poll

2007-08-28T09:32:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone,

hope your bank holiday weekend was good, mine was fun had a swim in a river with a retired police dog friend of mine called 'Klaus' he still looks very fierce as most german shepards do but he's a big teddy bear really. We have great fun playing together.

Thanks for taking part in the poll, suprisingly black labradors are the early favourites, come on the 'yellows'

Please have a look at the new video links to other dogs for the disabled partnerships too

Henry

Been another busy week

2007-08-24T09:11:00.001+01:00

Hello again,

I wonder what you've been up to since my last post? Well for me its been all go, spent a morning with my friend Venny, he's another assistance dog who works for a lady called Marie in a nearby village. Venny is a real old hand at this assistance dog thing as hes now 11! He sets me a great example to follow. I like it when Marie and Venny come over as its a great time for play and we usually get a treat or two.

Saw Venny again at our village summer show, Andy and Marie were running a stall there. There were lots of other dogs there and a dog show too. I was voted 'Best Orwell Dog' and got a small silver cup and rosette which I am very proud of.

Next door to us were a lot of collies and what can only be described as a doggy assault course. I think its called dog agility. Well these collies are really brave going through tunnels and over jumps and see-saws. Imagine my suprise when the woman running the course asked Andy if I'd like a go and my shock when he said yes!! I went around the course with the help of Andys daughter Josie and Andy was encouraging me. It was great fun, loved the jumps and tunnels but was a but shakey on the see-saw but I did it!

This week the local newspaper is doing an article about how I help Andy, so I had lts of photographs taken of me doing all my task work around the house. I have done a couple more talks with Andy and helped raise some more money for puppies too.

Check by soon for my next update

Henry,

the picture is me in the local woods

Busy Week - Lots of Fun

2007-08-10T13:10:00.000+01:00

Hmmmm, where do I start last week has been great fun. Did my usual of helping Andy get up and get dressed every day and carried things around the house for him most days too. On friday morning he packed a towel and my ball thrower in the car for me, so I got an idea it could be a good day.

After a longish drive I found myself at a big sandy beach. I heard Andy say to his friend who came with us it was Norfolk, there were lots of other dogs on the beach and after lunch had a great time chasing and being chased and getting very wet and grubby. Finished off getting clean in some less salty tasting water, slept most of the way home. Its great doing all this doggy stuff!

Andy did a couple of talks this week about Dogs for the Disabled to some local groups, they always make a fuss of me and I usually get a bowl of tea and a biscuit. Thats after I've showed them how I pick up credit cards and coins, push the footplates down on Andy's wheelchair and put rubbish in the bin. I've heard Andy's talk a few times now and usually have a sleep by his side when he's talking, apparently I usually snore quite loudly - whatever that means!

Rest of the week was great several long walks with lots of swimming and a trip into Cambridge Town centre too .....

It's a dog's life :-)

Henry

Henry's Video

2007-07-24T09:09:00.000+01:00

Here's a video of me helping Andy around the house :) Henry

Hello Everyone

2007-07-24T08:50:00.000+01:00

Hi,

We are pretty new to blogging so please bear with us while we get the hang of it.

Henry is a 6 year old yellow labrador who has beeen my assistance dog for the past 4 years. I am in my 40's and broke my neck in a cycling accident in '94. I have a high level spinal cord injury called quadriplegia. My arms are very weak with little grip and Henry enables me to live life to the full by helping me with all the day to day tasks I used to take for granted.

The purpose of this blog is to give you a view of our day to day lives as an assistance dog partnership, so will feature posts about how Henry helps me and what we get up to as well.

Henry is amazing and has transformed my life, its not just about the practical things he can do its about the confidence he gives me too and he truly is my best most loyal friend,

We have a busy week ahead so please check back soon

thanks

Andy and Henry
more info about Dogs for the Disabled and my Spinal Cord Injury can be found on the Useful Links

2007-07-23T17:14:00.000+01:00

Welcome to Andy and Henry's blog. Stay tuned for regular updates about life with my assistance dog Henry.