|
|
|
|
 |
| Canine
Partners to Feature in BBC 1 Documentary |
'Dog House' to follow disruptive teenagers as they learn to train
assistance dogs.
Tuesday
3rd April 2007: West Sussex based Canine Partners, a charity specialising
in providing highly trained assistance dogs to people with disabilities,
is to feature in a three-part documentary on BBC One from Wednesday
11th April. 'Dog House' follows five unruly, disruptive teenagers
as they embark on an emotional journey of transformation, learning
how to train assistance dogs for people with disabilities.
After
months of patient training, dogs trained by Canine Partners can
retrieve objects, open doors, call lifts, even empty a washing machine.
The benefits for wheelchair users are enormous. But what will be
the benefits for the kids?
| Allie,
15 |
Only
allowed at school one day a week, her house and family bear
the scars of her violent temper. |
| Liam,
14 |
Excluded
countless times for swearing at teachers and disrupting classes. |
| Katrina,
14 |
Shy
to the point of agoraphobia, she will be forced to come out
of herself or leave the course. |
| Rob,
13 |
Known
as the Volcano for his explosive temper, Rob really wants
to be a dancer. |
| Ellie,
14 |
In
and out of school for bullying and swearing, she seems to
have no empathy with other people. |
Over
three months this unlikely crew descends on the sleepy training
centre in Heyshott, West Sussex, where head trainer Nina Bonderenko
believes that working with the dogs can transform their behaviour.
Patience, consistency and praise are the keys to dog training and
perhaps the things that these children lack.
'Dog
House' candidates with Nina Bondarenko (second from left)
|
But from day one teenage mayhem is a shock to the system - these
kids cannot concentrate for more than a few minutes, and the dogs
are sensitive to any disruption. The experiment is almost over before
it has begun. But gradually as the weeks progress some extraordinary
and moving scenes emerge, as the young people begin to engage with
the dogs as well as disabled people whose lives have been transformed.
It
is a steep learning curve - after just three months, the teenagers
will have to put on a display of advanced dog training in front
of an audience of families and teachers at Chichester High School
for Boys - to prove to everyone that they are worthy of another
chance at school. This series charts their nerve-wracking progress,
as they try to make it through to the end.
'Dog
House' runs weekly from Wednesday 11th April at 10.45pm on BBC One.
About
Canine Partners
Officially launched in 1990, Canine Partners enables people with
disabilities to enjoy greater independence and a better quality
of life through the help of specially trained dogs.
Training
assistance dogs to transform the lives of people with disabilities
enriches human life in practical ways such as dressing and undressing,
supermarket shopping and vital emergency response procedures. In
addition it provides physiological, psychological and social benefits
that help keep people healthy and happy.
As a registered charity Canine Partners receives no government funding
and is wholly dependant on public donations and legacies.
For further information on fundraising, donations, volunteering
or applying for a Canine Partner, please call 08456 580480 or visit
www.caninepartners.co.uk.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
