Rita Howson News Today

BBC News Published image copyrightSupport Dogs image captionKatie Baldock had owned Digby the Dalmatian as a pet before she began training him as a support dog A woman trained her pet Dalmatian to be the first of his breed to qualify as a disability support dog via a national scheme. Katie Baldock, from Nottingham, who has nemaline myopathy which causes muscle weakness, helped train her dog Digby to perform day-to-day tasks. Digby is now able to help Ms Baldock open and close doors, empty the w...

BBC News Sheffield support dog charity praises volunteers Close A support dog charity is praising the work of volunteers who help train dogs that "change lives". The Sheffield Support Dog charity provides trained dogs to families with children who need extra help due to disability or medical conditions. They rely on volunteers to welcome puppies into their family homes to socialise them until they are old enough to start their real training. Rita Howson, from the charity, said: "That dog the...

Dogs Monthly Vet, broadcaster, and campaigner Marc Abraham, one of the driving forces behind Lucy’s Law, is hosting an online event for national assistance dog charity Support Dogs. The aim is to help the charity find potential heroes among unwanted dogs. Support Dogs trains life-saving assistance dogs for children and adults affected by autism, epilepsy and disability. One in four of the dogs the charity trains come from rescue centres or as unwanted pets, and Support Dogs is enc...