History of the charity

Emily Dogs was founded to promote the work of service dogs for the disabled and with the long term goal of establishing a dedicated training centre in West Cork. It is a registered charity encompassing 32 counties.

Emily Dogs trained and demonstrated with Susie, a golden lab/retriever for over five years, but due to health difficulties Susie is now semi retired. Ben is a two year old long coated German Shepherd dog, who has been working since about ten months old.

Susie was bred by Irish Guide Dogs, who have been most supportive of us. She was rejected for further training due to mild hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia is an abnormality of the hip joint which some breeds are particularly prone to. It is controlled by breeding only from hip scored parents and by a controlled and supervised exercise programme while the dog is growing This debarred her from doing harness work, but she has cheerfully demonstrated a range of service work. This would include, general picking and fetching, emptying washing machines, retrieving specific articles, opening doors using rope pulls, sounding alerts, carrying light articles in saddlebags, and stairs stability work for sight deficit in MS.

Ben was donated to Emily Dogs by a German Shepherd breeder in Whitechurch, Kathrina Grace. Ben happily picks, fetches, provides stable support, and does harness work. The harness he wears was imported from the USA, and is designed in a way which deflects weight from his spine. This is to safeguard the dogs health and skeleton. A dog in harness is far safer for a person with balance and coordination difficulties than is using a walking aid or frame.

Ireland is lagging behind its European counterparts in the area of service dogs. Even countries such as Hungary have assistance dogs for the disabled. It is cost effective from a financial viewpoint of any government to consider funding such a venture as it cuts back on carers salaries which are far in excess of the cost of training and maintaining dogs. It allows those dependent on carers a greater amount of independence and dignity. It supports those with disabilities who are employed, or are reasonably independent allowing even greater independence.

The dogs are trained according to the requirements of the individual with whom it is being placed. The matching process of dog to client is extremely important. There will be a training period during placement which gives the client the knowledge and confidence to know and understand their dog, and work with it safely and effectively.

Emily Dogs is a registered national charity (CHY 11677) encompassing thirty two counties.

It has been proven in scientific terms that dog ownership is good for our health. It lowers stress and promotes relaxation. Assistance dogs go a step further, they allow their owners to increase independence and the direction of their lives. This has been proven to be both beneficial to health and to mental well being.

Naturally, an assistance dog is aesthetically pleasing, it is a source of social contact, and pride to the owner. A working dog is a positive reflection on the skill of its owner.

Assistance Dogs International

Assistance Dogs International is an organisation which governs the standards set for the training and behaviour of all assistance dogs. Assistance dogs is a broad category covering guide dogs for the blind, hearing dogs for the deaf, helping dogs for the disabled and seizure alert dogs for epileptics. Assistance dogs International may be accessed through our links.

Long Term Plan for Emily Dogs

Emily Dogs is a 32 county charity, and intends to offer a service to disabled persons living everywhere in Ireland. To this end we plan to eventually establish 4/5 training centres around the country, all built in a similar manner, and each will train 4 – 6 dogs at any one time. Allowing that it will take 4-6 months to train each dog, we would hope to place between 14 and 18 dogs from each centre each year. These dogs have a working life of eight and a half years allowing a retirement age of 10 years and placement at 18 months. It is cost effective to build several small bungalow type units in several locations as it allows for access to disabled clients all over Ireland and for back up care.

Emily Dogs Ireland supports and promotes greater independence for those with disabilities. We believe that people with disabilities should have the right to a canine partner if they choose to live with one.