Independent Assistance Dog Agency,
also known as IADA, is
a Southampton-based disability charity helping applicants to train
their existing pet dogs to become their Assistance Dogs. Assistance
Dogs include guiding dogs, which lead their owners around obstacles
and halt at changes in elevation, and mobility dogs, which pick up
dropped objects and help to lift items from shelves, among others.
Assistance Dogs
can be vital to people with varying disabilities leaving their home
and going out on their own terms, as well as reducing the reliance on
human carers within the home. The current Assistance Dog system in
the UK involves disabled people applying to a charity to be matched
to a dog that will already have most of its training. Opportunities
to use an existing dog are sparse, and not offered for most
categories of Assistance Dog, including Autism dogs for adults and
mental health dogs, trained to interrupt damaging behaviours.
IADA is currently
crowdfunding
£1000 to contribute
to the estimated £15,000 it will need in its first year. Various
rewards are available for those who support the fundraiser, including
keyrings, t-shirts, and the opportunity to see partnerships on their
graduation days.
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Notes to Editors:
Independent Assistance Dog Agency
has been in development since 2014 and registered with the Charity
Commission in May 2016.
Assistance Dogs are
first trained in basic obedience and socialisation,
disability-specific tasks, and then public access. Dogs have to pass
rigorous assessments at each stage.
IADA provides
applicants with needed items as well as dog training, such as
clickers, special wheelchair leads and attachments, tugs to help dogs
open cupboards and doors if the applicant finds this difficult to do,
lead slips and dog jackets at appropriate stages of training and
qualification, and anything else a partnership of dog and disabled
person may need.
For further
information please email contact@iadauk.org.uk
Distributed by Pressat
Independent Assistance Dog Agency
E. contact@iadauk.org.uk