Ghana has been trained by national charity Dogs for the Disabled to help young Jack live a more independent life. Three years ago, when Jack was 7 years old, he was involved in a serious road traffic accident, which has meant that Jack now requires full use of a wheelchair and has no form of recognised speech.
By working together Ghana will be taught to help Jack with tasks that he finds difficult, such as picking up dropped items or opening doors.
David Wright MP will visit Jack and Ghana, who were partnered together earlier this year, to present the pair with a Dogs for the Disabled certificate in recognition of the partnerships hard work. He will also have an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of how Ghana will help Jack on a day-to-day basis.
Sarah Watson is communications manager for Dogs for the Disabled: “We welcome the opportunity to speak to David Wright about the work of the charity and illustrate just how these dogs have such a positive impact both practically and psychologically on the lives of their disabled owners. As Jack and Ghana establish their partnership we hope that the local community will be just as welcoming.”
As a fully trained assistance dog, Ghana will also have access rights to places such as supermarkets, leisure centres, libraries and other public places. Here he will be able to assist Jack if he drops anything or needs additional help, the chance for Jack to be independent will become increasingly important as Jack grows up.
For Jack, Ghana’s help is even more significant as he has been specially trained to respond to Jack’s needs through hand signals, helping Jack be independent despite his limited verbal communication. So when Jack puts his hands on his head, Ghana ‘speaks’ on command and his parents know that he needs something. If he drops something Jack holds out his hands and Ghana will retrieve it.
The charity was established in 1986 and to date has trained over 350 partnerships to help disabled adults and children. There are still many more people that could benefit from the charity’s work, to find out more visit www.dogsforthedisabled.org.
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