Some owners need and rely on their canines to help them with every day tasks.
Guide dogs, therapy dogs, and assistance dogs all provide support to their handlers and help to transform lives.
One of those very special canines is Bear.
He wound up in the care of Dogs Trust after a change in his family’s circumstances meant he could no longer stay there, TeamDogs reports.
Bear is now being trained for a very important role - as an autism assistance dog.
Surprisingly, many assistance and support dogs come from rescue centres.
The Labrador is currently training with charity Support Dogs, after Dogs Trust Manchester assistant Manager, Rebecca Smith, spotted the three-year-old's potential.
Rebecca said: “As soon as you meet Bear you know he is very special.
“He is full of energy and fun, but he also has a really loving nature and is very receptive to training.
“I got in touch with Support Dogs, they met him the next day and he’s never looked back!”
Having passed a four-week trial period with flying colours, Bear is loving life with foster carers whilst he undergoes six months of training with charity.
Danielle Kennedy, dog recruitment and assessor for Support Dogs, said: “As soon as I met Bear at Dogs Trust I knew he had fantastic potential and his training is going really well.
“We are building his confidence in busy places he may go to places with a child with autism such as shops and the park, so we can be confident he will stay calm when he’s out and about with a family.
“He is now also used to wearing his jacket and as soon as the jacket goes on, he knows he’s got a job to do, and he’s totally focused.”
As well as helping to keep children safe and restoring their independence, they, like all dogs, also provide companionship.
In children with autism, they can also provide comfort and reduce behavioural outbursts.
Danielle explained: “Children with autism often don’t want to go out at all, but with an assistance dog by their side they feel much more confident.
“Going to a local park or on a day trip with their family becomes possible. They can expand their world in ways that just wouldn’t be possible without a dog like Bear.
“An assistance dog also helps keep a child safe. A child with autism has little sense of danger and may tend to run or wander off from their caregivers.
“When they go out with an assistance dog, they are attached so the dog can, for example, stop them running into the road.”
She added “Also, our assistance dogs are trained to give full body rests that can help calm a child in an upsetting situation. The pressure of the dog’s body or head on the child can reassure them and provide comfort.”
Upon hearing of his progress, Rebecca added: “It’s fantastic that Bear is doing so well, and we are really proud of all of our dogs who have gone on to help people in so many ways.
“We’ve got our fingers crossed that Bear’s training continues to go well and look forward to hearing all about the forever family he is going to join.”
As well as Bear being trained as a Support Dog, canines from Dogs Trust Manchester have been trained to become police dogs and have also worked with Service Dogs UK, helping veterans who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
