Church welcomes dog charity (From This is The West Country)

Church welcomes dog charity

11:00am Wednesday 25th May 2011 in News

BURNHAM Methodist Church hosted a visit from a charity which trains dogs how to care for their disabled owners.

Simon and Claire Anderson from Support Dogs and their German Pointer gun dog Meela demonstrated how the training works Simon, a former motorcycle police officer, was left seriously injured in a collision with a lorry several years ago and is now confined to a wheelchair.

He calls his canine assistants Meela, and the recently retired Fudge, his furry helpers as they look after tetraplegics - people with limited finger movements - and can operate switches, TVs, and door handles.

The couple's teaching methods relies on the food reward system where canine students learn to chew instead of fighting for treats.

Meela demonstrates her restraint by having two treats while balanced on her paws and waiting for the command before tucking in.

She is able to recognise objects by name and can retrieve specific items with no problems.

Simon and Claire set up the charity in 1992 with the aim of helping people with disabilities and/or epilepsy.

Dogs are trained in domestic duties such as carrying and even loading the washing machine and Seizure Alert dogs are trained to respond if they sense their owner may be about to suffer a fit.

The minutes of advance warning given by the dogs can be vital in allowing the epileptic to prepare and call for help.

Recently the charity has branched out in training dogs to work with autistic children and helping to develop close bonds.

Support dogs cost around £12,000 through their lives - the skills, enthusiasm and patience shown by Meela suggest it is money well spent.