Davis College forges links with ‘My Canine Companion’

Volunteers from My Canine Companion paid a visit to Davis College last monday some of their autism assistance dogs, plus eight puppies who will be trained and given to local families. The dogs and puppies were big hits with students and teachers, and chew toys which were made by a teacher were donated to the charity.

My Canine Companion is a national charity founded in 2011 is committed to helping children with autism, and their families gain independence, companionship and safety through the provision of highly trained and skilled service dogs. The provision of such dogs does not come cheap as each dog costs €10,000 to train however, it is all worth it in the end as service dogs make dramatic differences’ in the quality of life for children with Autism and their families. Not only do dogs assist children physically but these special dogs also become the child’s best, and in some cases, only friend. As part of the programme, puppies are initially placed with families with whom they are going to spend the rest of their lives and apart from a few months’ training this is where they stay.
Davis College was made aware of the organisation through one of our first-year students who has benefitted from the organisation. As a member of our AS class, this student is collected each day by his dog. When we saw the fantastic relationship which both have with each othe,r we could not wait to get involved with this organisation. Hence, puppies were organised to visit accompanied by some of ‘My Canine Companion’ staff. Our LCA classes have been recruited to lead the funding drive for this very worthy charity. Going forward, we have a number of fundraising ideas planned. The dogs that visited today were rewarded with a collection of readymade toys that one of our staff members had organised prior to the school closure in March. We look forward to working with this charity in the future.