CVS has presented its charity of the year Support Dogs with a cheque for £39,000 following a year of fundraising at its veterinary sites across the UK. The amount raised is almost double the sum raised in 2015 and reflects the enthusiasm for fundraising among its staff and high regard for the work of Support Dogs, according to the company. Support Dogs is a national charity dedicated to increasing the independence and quality of life for children and adults with some of the most challenging of conditions.
“The help Support Dogs offer to adults and children suffering from a range of challenging conditions highlights the incredible value companion animals can add to people’s lives and, yet again, our colleagues astounded us with the variety of fundraising feats they undertook,” explained Barry Brackner, Marketing and Commercial Director at CVS. “From our popular Bake Off competition at our Support Office, a trek along Hadrian’s Wall and countless open days and sponsored challenges, everyone at CVS really got behind Support Dogs this year and we were delighted to present the charity’s Chief Executive Rita Howson with a substantial cheque at our annual conference in Birmingham on 7 November.”
Rita Howson said: “We were overwhelmed to receive such a fantastic donation from CVS and it will be spent putting two Support Dogs through their rigorous training. This can take anything up to two years for a puppy and at least six to 12 months for an adult dog. I was struck by the passion shown by the team at CVS for our charity and how welcome they made me and my Support Dog Ambassador, Cass, feel at their conference. We are deeply grateful for their support which will enable us to help many more families affected by autism, epilepsy or disability and who so desperately need our help.”
Support Dogs works in three key areas:
- It trains Autism Assistance Dogsto enable a child with autism, who may have limited sense of danger, to remain safe. The dogs also help reduce a child’s levels of anxiety, enabling them and their families to lead a more ‘normal’ and more independent life.
- It trains Disability Assistance Dogsto increase the level of independence for a person with a physical disability. Disability Assistance Dogs help with all aspects of life from washing, dressing, shopping and picking up objects, to raising the alarm. Support Dogs train the client’s own pet dog for this programme.
- It is the only charity in the UK to train Seizure Alert Dogs. These dogs provide a reliable up to 50 minute warning to a client prior to an oncoming epileptic seizure.
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