ONE of North Cotswolds Rotary Club's chosen charities for 2018 is Canine Partners, and the club hosted a talk at Naunton Downs Golf Club given by Colette Kilmister, accompanied by her assistance dog Jennie, a ten-year-old Labradoodle.

She told the 55 members and guests how Jennie “gave me a life", by enabling her to enjoy a degree of independence and thereby grow in confidence and self-esteem.

Canine Partners is a registered charity that transforms the lives of people with physical disabilities by partnering them with specially trained assistance dogs.

Mike Boyes of Cotswold Rotary Club said: "Their strap line is ‘amazing dogs, transforming lives’, and their assistance dogs do indeed transform lives by bringing greater independence and quality of life to their partners, and providing practical help with everyday household tasks.

"These amazing dogs, sometimes referred to as dogs for the disabled, help those with a medical condition that must be fully stable, to lead lives that might otherwise need almost full time care."

With Jennie by her side Ms Kilmister explained that she is able to go shopping in her motorised wheelchair, and Jennie fetches items from the shelves, puts them into a basket, and at the checkout passes a purse to the shop assistant.

Jennie also helps with opening and closing doors, and she even operates the washing machine, putting in dirty clothes and pulling out the clean ones. She can open the fridge, and opens drawers or fetches the telephone or other household items when asked.

A suitable pedigree dog spends about a year with a puppy parent, and then undergoes advanced training for a further six months. T

here follows a home assessment, and at about 18 to 20 months an assistance dog is ready for placement.

Currently there are around 300 assistance dogs in Britain, but the demand is greater than this. Canine Partners receives no government grants and is entirely funded by charitable donations.

After the talk, club president Peter Boxall handed Colette an initial cheque for £200 to Canine Partners, and the charity will also benefit as one of the principal charities from the club’s golf day in June.