“The puppies have been with our ‘puppy parents’ since 4th June. These ‘foster parents’ have been teaching them basic obedience training and toilet training… although there have been a few ‘mistakes’! They have all had their injections and Parvo boosters and normal check ups for weight, joints, heart etc, all at the expense of NIAD.
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“I am delighted at the work the puppy parents have done. Their dedication has to be commended. I know they dearly love the puppies and will be sad to see them go in one way, but they feel privileged to be part of what these special puppies will become. Puppy parents are volunteers who take puppies into their homes and very importantly socialise them and provide basic training with the help of NIAD.
“Today is a really important day for everyone… including the puppies. This is the first opportunity for the children to meet with their puppies. It has been quite an emotional occasion including for the children’s parents. These parents have completed the application process and this is where it has led to.
“The children here today are at different stages of either autism of diabetes. They are special children and the dogs are to become their companions, making them very special dogs. The dogs will be given very intense training by NIAD to meet the children’s various needs. And through the working life of the dog they will go on to become the soul mates of the children affected by these disabilities.”
Bill explained that the assistance dogs can be trained to help people who have disabilities, are in a wheelchair or have mobility problems. He added that the NIAD team are devoted to this work and highly value the professional, caring and personal approach which will be NIAD’s hallmark.”
The NIAD trainers come from a wide variety of backgrounds which enables them to bring many years of experience to the training. The organisation is funded by donations and fundraising events. All of the money goes into training, animal care, equipment and other essentials. Check out the website at:
www.northernirelandassistancedogs.co.uk
Speaking at the hand over of the puppies to the children, Bill said that this was the first  group hand over of a number of puppies at one time. “Much work yet has to be done now to get the puppies working for the children. It will take time, hard work and patience but we will get there.”
The delight and excitement of all the families was obvious at the handover and Down News spoke to the families involved who were all over the moon with their new family members… the puppies. Mother Kelly O’Reilly from Downpatrick said, my son James (7) has autism and Suzie his new puppy companion will be a great benefit to him helping him to stay safe. James has no concept of danger and has to be kept safe.
“If he wandered off the dog will be able to stay with him and help him from dangers such as traffic. I also hope that walking with the dog will help to reduce his anxiety levels.”
Pauline Mulholland from Bangor, mother of Kaitlyn (7) who suffers from severe diabetes, said,” Kaitlyn requires four injections a day. Up until now we have had to watch over her day and night and her diabetes is unstable. Now the puppy Dani has joined us, we look forward to a break once the dog is fully trained up. I am a nurse and also my husband John is a full-time carer. The dog will be able to detect body changes in her diabetes condition and alert us”
Young Lorcan (4) is also autistic and his mother Kirsty said that the new dog will help to keep him calmer. “Lorcan hardly sleeps and is active all night, so he is quite a handful and requires a lot of supervision round the clock. The new puppy Dixi will be a good companion to him and help settle him and keep him safe.”
Derry parents Denise and Eamon Geary were also there with their daughter Rebecca (4) to meet their new dog Dana. Rebecca too also suffers from autism and her mother explained Rebecca required 24-hour attention. “Rebecca could easily wander off and basically we have to ensure she is safe all the time. The addition of our new puppy is a welcome addition to her care and we look forward to the dog being trained up fully and working with her.”
And Belfast parents Kathleen and Francis McLoughlin too were delighted at Della the puppy joining their family to help Joseph (8) Â who also suffers from autism. Kathleen said, “It will take a bit of time for the puppy to be fully working with Joseph but we look forward to it being his companion and will also help keep him safe.”
Speaking after the handover of the puppies, Bill Thompson said that all of the puppies had settled in well and that within that few days NIAD had received another three requests for assistance dogs for children with medical and disability issues. The pioneering work that Bill has engaged in is now beginning to be noticed and demand for assistance dogs is already increasing.]]>
