Dogs For Good Warwickshire supporters' group raises more than £21,000

The 20-strong Warwickshire group raised £21,821.35, which could be used in a variety of ways, including to buy 23 life-changing puppies for the charity’s assistance dog service.

Dogs for Good’s assistance dogs support adults and children with a range of disabilities and also children with autism, providing practical support, increasing confidence and enabling greater independence.

It also trains activity and therapy dogs to work with specialist handlers in communities and schools and its Family Dog team also gives specialist advice and support to help people get the most out of their relationship with their pet dog.

Sarah Carr, 57, from Warwick, has mobility issues and suffers from fibromyalgia and arthritis. She has a two-year-old golden retriever assistance dog called Rumba who helps her to get dressed and undressed, picks up dropped items, pushes buttons and empties the washing machine.

Sarah said: “Rumba is my little ray of sunshine who walked into my life and put a smile back on my face.

“With Rumba’s keenness to help get me dressed in the morning and then load the washing machine and other tasks we are soon out and about, going to the local shops, she even knows which paper I like to read.

“There is so much to be positive about. Being part of the enthusiastic Warwickshire Supporter Group, raising funds and giving talks, generally raising awareness and money for Dogs for Good is just a small way of giving something back and having fun too.”

The Warwickshire group's efforts last year spanned a variety of fundraising activities including music festivals, fetes, fairs, dog walks, fun days, supermarket tin collections and a fun dog day.

This has raised enough money to:

· Purchase 23 puppies for their assistance dog scheme or

· Pay for advanced training for 16 new partnerships or

· Cover the annual insurance cost for 92 puppies or dogs in training

Dogs for Good’s Chief Executive, Peter Gorbing, said: “This truly is an enormous amount of money and means so much to our charity. We greatly appreciate the long hours - in all kinds of weather- positivity and dedication that went into raising a sum of this magnitude.”

To find out more about Dogs for Good go to: www.dogsforgood.org