Community Dogs
Our Community Dogs and their handlers provide voluntary visits for care homes, schools, health care settings, colleges and universities. Our dogs provide mental and emotional support with all their visits, leaving nothing but paw prints on your heart
Visiting Community Dogs are scientifically proven to increase the mental health and well-being to all staff, residences, students, and carers they interact with
Our visits are tailored to your individual needs, be it an afternoon of cuddles, inspiring talks about our dogs, evoking memories for the elderly, listening to children read, meets and greets or playing and learning about dogs. Our aim is to put smiles on everyone’s face!
Our Community Dogs are all temperament and behaviourally assessed, they are supported by our Community Dogs Mentors (CDM) who provide regular up-to-date, force-free training and support for the dogs and their handlers.
Community Dogs pride themselves in the committed work with voluntary handlers and their dogs, providing you with the greatest experience
The helpful hounds have been visiting our residents here for coming up to 2 years and the residents absolutely love their visits, many of our residents have always had pets and miss the interactions that you can only get from a pet. The smile on the faces of the residents tell us all we need to know about how much they enjoy their visits and interactions with the dogs. Peter and his team are friendly and empathetic to the needs of our residents and will visit individuals in their room for them to have 121 time with their lovely well trained dogs. One resident who doesn’t walk much took the lead and took the dog for a walk, he was so animated afterwards and gave him a huge sense of purpose and achievement.
Join Community Dogs
Do you live in the Dorset area? Would you and your dog like to join Community Dogs? If the answer is yes and you can answer yes to the basic criteria, please contact us for the next steps of becoming part of the Helpful Hounds Community Dogs Family.
Check you are eligible
To process your application for a Helpful Hound, please see the following criteria:
You:
- You can commit to a regular visiting slot – once a month/week/day
- You the dog handler is over 18 years of age
The visiting dog:
- Has up to date vaccinations, worming and flea treatment
- Is over 18mths and neutered
- Can follow basic cues, such as sit, stay and wait
- Enjoys interaction with new people
- Is comfortable with noisy, busy, and new environments
- Is calm when meeting strangers of all ages, race, and genders
- Enjoys being petted without becoming over-excited
- Walks nicely with a flat lead and collar/harness
- Does not jump at people
After contact and a date agreed, the next step is for one of our CDM’s to conduct two assessments- a temperament test and a public access test.
Throughout the process the CDM will be observing you as a team, and focus on:
- Handlers’ connection and attention with their dog
- Dogs’ social behaviour
- Dogs’ ability to cope with environmental stressors
- Dogs’ affection consent
- Dogs impulse control
What are the benefits to becoming a volunteer?
- Spending time with your dog and building on your relationship
- Giving back to the community
- Receive continuing training advice and support from our CDM’s
- Meet other volunteers
- Get involved with numerous Helpful Hounds events
- Receive a Helpful Hounds Community Dog ID badge
- Free DBS
Cost: A suggested annual contribution of £30 to cover costs on insurance
I just wanted to drop a line to give some feedback regarding the course that my son Lucas completed during the Summer term. He enjoyed it immensely, he learn’t so much about the behaviour of dogs, how to behave around them and it has allowed him to transition to secondary school with the confidence to seek out Bonnie the Beagle therapy dog at his new secondary school Lytchett Minster.
He had a very negative experience with a dog at a young age to the point where he wouldn’t even enter a park without severe anxiety and now he is wanting us to buy a family dog.
Thank you so much for giving Lucas such a wonderful opportunity.
Kindest regards,
Gem
Hi there, I just wanted to message to say thank you so much for the work Ralph has done with my little girl, Maeve.
Maeve was terrified of all dogs and animals before Ralph’s sessions. In a matter of weeks she’s gone from avoiding any interaction with animals to playing with her grandma’s dog and feeding goats and sheep and even holding a bunny.
Thank you so much- it’s been an absolute joy to see the change in her!
Book a visit from a community dog
Are you an establishment and interested in a visiting Community Dog? Contact us to arrange a regular or one-off visit to suit you and your individual needs, we will then match you with a Community Dog and their handler. In return, all we ask is to fund raise, support and raise awareness for Helpful Hounds Assistance and Community dogs.
What are the benefits of a visiting community dog?
- They can motivate individuals to focus, engage and encourage learning
- They are completely non-judgmental providing a relaxed experience
- They can increase self-confidence
- They can reduce self-consciousness
- They can put a smile on faces, giving a sense of well being
- They can teach and reinforce individuals how to be around dogs
- Regular visits can give a sense of pet ownership
Book a workshop
Workshop – Confidence building for children around dogs
Community Dogs can offer this invaluable workshop, run by our CDM’s and held within your establishment. To keep the workshops personal and relaxed, we run six sessions with up to 6 places.
This workshop is aimed for children who are not confident around dogs, want to overcome a fear of dogs or just want to learn about how to be around dogs. They will learn the important roles of dogs, body language, a dogs daily needs, how to behave around dogs and how avoid unwanted confrontation. Using education and gradual exposure to dogs, the student will learn how dogs behave and how to behave around them; evidently allowing the individual chid to become confident in day-to-day situations when around dogs.
*Due to the nature of this workshop, no dog will attend until all students are comfortable
