Helper dog first of many for NI

Published Friday, 31 August 2012
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A dog's work is never done for one special spaniel who can pick up letters, answer phone calls and do the washing for his owner in Ballymena.

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Barnaby is one of Northern Ireland's only assistance dogs, who provides vital help for his owner, Elizabeth Black.

"He's great company number one- and he's very useful even though he's a small dog," he said.

"He can pick up letters from the floor when they land through the letterbox, he can pick up anything small that I drop, he can shut a door and, he can believe it or not, help to get things out of the back of the washing machine."

Wheelchair user Elizabeth took the King Charles spaniel to training classes as a puppy and Barnaby proved a keen student, achieving bronze and silver kennel club awards.

He still attends classes to keep him up to scratch on his skills.

She says things would be very hard for her without the canine as she lives on her own and he helps with awkward tasks that she can't do as a wheelchair user.

Elizabeth set up Assistance Dogs NI two years ago, which works alongside Autism NI and Disability Action, in order to start training other dogs in Northern Ireland to be as multi-talented as Barnaby and help others with everyday tasks.

Schooling for the dogs is expensive, as it costs £5,000 to fully train one dog.

Fortunately the charity has benefitted recently from a Lottery grant and are now keen for people to foster pups who will go on to be trained up just like Barnaby.

When the hard-working dog gets a break, he is known to enjoy sailing with his owner.

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2 Comments
Stickyblade in Belfast wrote (263 days ago):
Ryan unfortunately dogs in animal shelters have alot of problems. We are selves tried to get a Staff from a shelter and the dogs can have a lot of problems and most of them are not brilliant with other dogs. For these jobs unless they were pups, it mayb more dangerous or nervous and it can a right handful. Unfortunately its jst the way it is...
Ryan in Belfast wrote (263 days ago):
Why cant they use the dogs in animal rescue shelters to be trained to help older people or people with disabilities? Instead of breeding dogs for the jobs.
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