Since 2007 Rug Doctor has been supporting the charity Canine Partners

OUR CHOSEN CHARITY

Canine Partners is a progressive charity that aims to transform the lives of people with disabilities, enabling them to live more independently by partnering them with highly trained assistance dogs. Finance & HR Manager Paul Hansford runs Rug Doctor’s fundraising efforts.

The relationship began because of Paul’s own personal connection with the charity.

Paul had previously worked at Canine Partners for two years, as a dog trainer; it was here he recognised the value of their hard work and wanted to continue helping the charity
raise funds.

---

Helping Canine Partners

When Paul became an employee at Rug Doctor he identified an opportunity to help Canine Partners through setting up a staff snack shop in the Worthing Head Office, it is here where the funds are primarily raised; staff can buy a variety of drinks and snacks and the proceeds are donated to the charity.

“For the past four years we have been running a 'Snack Shop', which sells cold drinks, chocolate bars, crisps, fruit, healthier snacks etc and even ice creams
in the summer,”

Paul Hansford, Finance and HR Manager at Rug Doctor.

“Through the empty tummies and generous donations of Rug Doctor staff, we have managed to raise over £6,000 in that time. This is enough to pay for the acquisition of eight puppies to then be trained as assistance dogs”.

Isabel Campbell, Canine Partners’ Director of fundraising and marketing, says:

“As a charity that receives no government funding we are reliant on support from companies and organisations such as Rug Doctors to raise vital funds for us

Their donations are going directly to help us train more dogs for people with disabilities, and we would like to thank them for their generosity.”

Jess Loseby from West Sussex has a spinal injury which left her a wheelchair user. She has canine partner Ash to help her with everyday tasks:

“I am a mother of three children, all born after I was injured in a car accident at just seventeen. After eighteen years of throwing my wheelchair in and out of cars, lifting on and off the floor to care for babies by my arms and generally ignoring the fact I was paraplegic, my body went “on strike”. My husband and children were in shock. I simply didn’t know what to do. I stayed in the house – often for weeks at a time and my whole family suffered with me.

“The simplest things make all the difference to a person with a disability; all mothers need to pick up after their families, but from in a wheelchair, the constant bending down would leave me full of pain and exhaustion at the end of the day. Now I have Ash, she picks up toys, mess, clothes; helps me with the washing; grabs my shoes when they fall off my feet and a million other small things that have halved my pain and doubled my independence. I am off anti-depressants, I have lost a stone, and my family walk with me and my dog, relaxed and happy. If you want to see a life changed, see ours.”

---

On Thursday 25th August 2011 Rug Doctor had great pleasure in presenting a further cheque for £2,500 to Canine Partners at their Heyshott office.

Since the relationship began Rug Doctor has proudly raised over £6,000.