International Assistance Dog Week runs from 4th – 10th August 2024, led by the not-for-profit coalition, Assistance Dogs International (ADI).
This year, pet insurer Agria is seizing the opportunity to draw attention to the important role of the UK’s assistance dogs and generate greater financial support for their work.
There are currently 5,904 working assistance dogs in the UK trained by ADI members, with an additional 2,789 in training thanks to the hard work of ADI members and over 15,000 volunteers. Despite this, there are almost 2.5K clients on official waiting lists to receive a dog – although the real figure is likely to be much higher as many organisations close their waiting lists when they become oversubscribed.
Despite the demand for their services, assistance dog awareness remains low amongst the public, with many people assuming all working canines are guide dogs for the visually impaired.
Agria is keen to educate the nation with this guide to its diverse range of canine heroes:
Guide Dogs
These amazing animals are the most common kind of assistance dog. Trained to help those with low or no vision to get around the home, streets, and crowded places like shopping centres, guide dogs help their owners to walk straight and steady, avoid obstacles and hazards, and locate doors, stairs, buttons and other helpful objects and signals. The UK currently has just under 3.5K working guide dogs for the blind and visually impaired, trained by Guide Dogs UK who are members of both ADI and the International Guide Dog Federation. With 340K people registered as blind or partially sighted, this indicates the huge gap in provision.
Hearing Dogs
Assistance dogs can also help those who suffer from hearing loss. The UK’s 1,134 ADI member-trained hearing assistance dogs respond to important and often life-saving sounds that would otherwise be missed. From doorbells to crying babies, hearing dogs signal to their owners the presence of certain sounds via touch, using a paw to gain their attention, before leading them to the sound source. For noises that indicate danger, such as smoke alarms or carbon monoxide detectors, hearing dogs know to lie down in front of their owner.
Mobility Assistance Dogs
Reaching, twisting, pulling and pushing things are all everyday movements that the able-bodied take for granted. For those who face mobility challenges, difficulty making these movements can make everyday tasks a struggle. Here’s where the UK’s 739 ADI member-trained mobility assistance dogs come in. They can retrieve dropped items, turn lights and electronics on and off, open and close doors and drawers, fetch essential items like medication and ringing phones, and carry items like handbags.
Autism Assistance Dogs
Those with autism see the world differently. This can include being easily overwhelmed by sensory stimuli. For many, having one of the UK’s 273 ADI member-trained autism assistance dogs at their side helps to ease anxiety and make public places more accessible and comfortable. Whether providing sensory support and tactile simulation with their soft fur and gentle demeanour, relieving anxiety with deep pressure body weight therapy, or interrupting compulsive disruptive behaviours by licking their owners’ faces, autism assistance dogs provide a bridge between inner struggles and the outside world.
Psychiatric Support Dogs
Some of us need a furry friend even more than others. Those who suffer from psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia can find great comfort from a psychiatric support dog. There are currently only 105 of these amazing animals in the country trained by ADI members, plus 88 specialised PTSD support dogs. They are immensely valuable to those they serve, keeping their owners calm and grounded during emotional and potentially triggering situations. For those struggling with obsessive-compulsive disorder, a psychiatric support dog can help by interrupting compulsive behaviour cycles and preventing their owner’s illness from dominating their life.
Diabetic and Medical Alert Dogs
While rarer than other types of assistance dogs, diabetic and medical alert dogs work miracles. There are currently only 101 of these heroic animals trained by ADI members in the UK. Seizure-alert dogs are the rarest despite the vital nature of their work. Medical alert dogs put their natural scent-detection skills to work identifying minute odour changes in the body that occur prior to a medical episode such as a seizure, severe allergic reaction or hypoglycaemic crash. They then alert their owner to the imminent danger so they can access vital medicines and make their way to a safe place, avoiding injury and minimising the danger their condition brings.
The Cost of Saving Lives
The cost of training, socialising and caring for the health of an assistance dog can be more than £30,000, and the process can take between 18 months and two years thanks to the extraordinary criteria that must be met. The vast majority of ADI members do not charge, or charge only a minimal fee for those in need of an assistance dog, relying largely on donations. As a result, the charities who train these dogs do not have the financial resources to meet demand, leaving many UK adults without the assistance they need to live safe and independent lives.
With a donation of £5,000, this International Assistance Dog Week, Agria will support the training of 10 brand new assistance dogs, adding to the £2M the insurance provider has already contributed to animal welfare charities.
Chris Diefenthaler, Executive Director of Assistance Dogs International (ADI) said: “ADI is delighted that Agria Pet Insurance is generously sponsoring 10 dogs trained by some of our UK members. We know how much this support means, as the costs of training and supporting the health and welfare of an assistance dog from puppy to retirement can be difficult for our members. Last year our UK members helped more than 5,900 adults and children living with conditions such as sight or hearing loss, mobility or psychiatric problems, epilepsy, diabetes, autism and PTSD – Agria’s generous support will change even more lives for the better. International Assistance Dog Week is a time when we focus on the life-changing and life-saving work of these remarkable dogs. I am truly grateful to Agria Pet Insurance for their invaluable support – together we really can change lives. Thank you.”
Mark Walden, Partnership Manager at Agria Pet Insurance said: “We at Agria feel a strong responsibility to inform, educate and inspire the pet-loving public about animal issues that need their help. As passionate champions of animal welfare across the UK, our donation to some of ADI’s UK members is just our latest way of supporting a great cause that shows the importance of the human/animal bond. We encourage our customers and other animal lovers to donate what they can to this worthy cause. We’re proud to also continue offering our Working Dogs policy, a unique and flexible insurance package designed to cover the specific needs of these irreplaceable animals, and by extension, the people they protect.”
* Statistics for ADI UK members and Candidate programmes (based on last member survey, year ending 2023)
