12 Days of Christmas: Mobility Assistance Dogs Trust

Natalie Ramm (L) and Helen Spence of the Mobility Assistance Dogs Trust with Assistance Dogs, Issac, Gift and Chance. Photo / Paul Estcourt.

This Christmas, the Herald is again featuring charities which have been selected for a $10,000 donation from Auckland International Airport.

For many people partnered with a mobility dog, the animal is a life-saver.

"Guide dogs are the eyes for a blind person. In some cases, mobility dogs are the arms and legs for a person," says Natalie Ramm.

Miss Ramm is the senior canine co-ordinator for the Mobility Assistance Dogs Trust, in Swanson, West Auckland.

Established in 2003, the trust trains dogs and places them with people who have long-term physical disabilities.

Those who have been partnered with a dog include people who suffer from cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and people in wheelchairs.

The trust is one of 12 charities to receive a $10,000 grant this year from Auckland International Airport's 12 Days of Christmas giveaway.

Miss Ram, who is training nine dogs in the facility, says the money will go towards creating better training areas at its kennel facility.

"We want to build a kitchen area with drawers and fittings, because the dogs will be helping people to pick things up."

Miss Ram said other things needed for training purposes included traffic light switches, toilet buttons and parent-child room buttons at shopping malls - wired to make a noise when a dog has opened something correctly.

Bedding, stairs and material such as mesh, astroturf and wire will be bought so the dogs can become familiar with them before being placed with someone.

"They have to be comfortable with various surfaces and heights. So this means we can set things up properly for training purposes," Miss Ram said.

The trust is the only one of its kind in the country. It has placed 20 dogs with people with disabilities, the youngest being a 9-year-old boy.

Development manager Helen Spence said everyone was "hugely excited" to have received the grant.

"We are just so excited to get this to help better our facilities and to help people," Ms Spence said.

"For a lot of people the dog is not just a helper but a companion, a friend. Having a dog is like having a path to the big wide world."

ON THE WEB

mobilitydogs.co.nz