Helpful Hounds Assistance Dogs
Helping to change the lives of young people and their families
Helpful Hounds Assistance Dogs is a Mental Health Charity that was started to help with the growing demand of, mainly young people who have a range of conditions who, with their family, would benefit greatly from having the support of an Assistance Dog.
Our objective is to help the person we support to achieve their maximum potential, whether that is educationally, socially or in work opportunity.
We are a Charity (Registered in England and Wales No.1181017) that helps to change the lives of young people and their families, living within Southern England (The defined list is shown within eligibility).
We generally use the term “Assistance Dog” as one of our Helpful Hounds that works with Autism, Down’s Syndrome and other emotional issues. In addition, some of our Assistance Dogs work with a Partner who is physically disabled or requires a do that can alert them to the onset of a medical situation such as diabetes, Pott’s or epilepsy.
We train the dogs to a very high standard. All Helpful Hounds have the same basic training, including qualification for our Foundation Certificate and then the Kennel Club Bronze, Silver and Gold Certificates (or equivalent). Then the specialist training will be based on the specific needs of the individual, family or school the Helpful Hound will be working with.
In addition, our Helpful Hounds are specially trained:
- to help young people on the Autism spectrum and those with Down’s syndrome, by helping them gain confidence, develop independence and improve their quality of life.
- to help young people with physical disabilities, such as POTS, Cerebral Palsy and Muscular Dystrophy by granting them independence and improving their quality of life. Again, we train all our dogs to perform a minimum three tasks, but as many as needed by the Physically Disabled Person. We will also work with a small number of adults in this way.
- to help those with Mental Health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, OCD and Tourette’s by helping to grant them independence and improving the quality of their lives.
- as Medical Alert Assistance Dogs
We have found that more Schools, especially those that are Special Needs or have Special Needs Students or Departments, are welcoming Dogs into their world to fulfil a number of roles.
In Remembrance
Helpful Hounds would like to pay our respects to Lise Marron and her Assistance Dog Daithi. Lise had the vision and energy to start her own NFP Organisation, Capable Creatures, to enable people with mental health conditions to improve their lives with the help and support of the training and ongoing assessment of Assistance Dogs. Unfortunately, her work was cut short in 2022 but her enthusiasm, energy and commitment will be remembered by those who she helped and those who knew or worked with her for many years to come. Helpful Hounds believes strongly in the work she had planned relating to mental health conditions and has been honoured with benefitting from the closure of Capable Creatures. As a Charity, focused on Mental Health, we are in a good position to keep her objective alive.
Our Work Makes a Difference
HENRY
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PLEASE NOTE: On 23rd April 2023, a company Helpful Hounds Ltd was registered and is advertising Assistance Dog Training. We have been made aware by someone who was concerned. Helpful Hounds Ltd has no connection whatsoever with Helpful hounds Assistance Dogs and is not a Charity but a commercial company.
