FEATURES
War, Yomper is in honour of Royal Marine Richard Hollington, the 300th Serviceman to be killed in Afghanistan. (Richard’s mother often pops in to see how the puppy is getting on). Juno is named after the D-Day beach. And the smallest puppy is Red 4 after Flt Lt Jon Egging. With military ethos at the heart of the charity the puppies wear uniforms of blue and red coats which can carry the new owner’s insignia if they wish.
Training One observer remarked, as three-and-a- half month-old Monty refused to let go of the keys in his mouth. “To see this naughty little mutt in action, it’s hard to believe that, in less than eighteen months, he could be transforming the life of a young man who has lost limbs in Afghanistan, a policewoman shot in the line of duty or an injured firefighter”.
Head trainer, Carol Court, said: “We teach them to push, tug and give. Those three instructions cover everything they’ll have to do,
whether it is tugging open a cupboard door or pushing a button on a pedestrian crossing”.
Having a dog From experience Allen knows that injured Service personnel can sometimes be reluctant to accept a service dog, as many are too proud to admit to themselves that they might need one. Allen himself won’t use the word ‘disabled’ about himself, preferring to think of himself as ‘wibbly wobbly’ rather than anything else.
Sqn Ldr Wayne Palmer said: “There are fifty injured men and women on the waiting list for dogs. Some were injured in Northern Ireland, some in the Falklands and the Gulf Wars, while others sustained injuries during peace time. Anyone can be considered, so long as they are/were a member of the British Armed Forces or the emergency services and would benefit from a dog. This may be to deal with the effects of post-traumatic stress or to physically help them to become independent if they’ve lost a limb, or simply to provide unconditional love and loyalty if they have suffered facial injuries”.
Allen said: “Think how much feeling of well-being any dog can bring to a person, then think what a trained one could do”.
Allen is still desperate to enlist more help — volunteers and donations. If you think you could help or would like to find out more go to:
www.houndsforheroes.com
www.raf-ff.org.uk
Envoy Spring 2012
17
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