In August 2005, Canine Partners entered into a unique partnership with Battersea Dogs & Cats Home (BD&CH) to look for suitable dogs to train. Nicknamed 'Project Cinderella' due to the ‘from rags to riches’ concept, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home had identified a Labrador puppy who they thought would be suitable for training to become a Canine Partner.
It is unusual for BD&CH to re-home dogs to organisations such as charities, but Director General Duncan Green has long-admired the work of Canine Partners and was keen to develop a working relationship. When Labrador puppy Ben came to BD&CH in June, after his owners found him too much to handle, he was identified as an ideal candidate for the Canine Partners training process.
Karyn Allen, Working Dogs Coordinator at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home commented: “I felt that Ben would be a good prospect for Canine Partners, due to his age and breed. He is very keen to learn and has a happy yet calm demeanour. Canine Partners offers a great opportunity for dogs, as it provides excellent training, all dogs are kept in good condition and the final result helps people with disabilities and gives them a loving home. We are very happy and proud to be able to help such a cause.”
Ben, who was renamed Yannick, (as part of the ‘Y’ group of dogs in the Canine Partners’ programme) started his training in August 2005, and was looked after by his puppy parent Ruth until August 2006, when he entered the Advanced Training programme.
Lucy O’Brien, Training Teams Leader said:
"Yannick was a very sensitive dog, which is what makes him so good as an assistance dog. In Advanced Training we found out that he was quite insecure and would become very attached to people very quickly, possibly as a result of his uncertain start in life. This was one of the biggest hurdles for the Advanced Trainers as he would only have eyes for one person and would bark if they were training another dog, leaping at the trainer each time they went near him! This meant it was impossible for someone else to train him when ‘his’ person was around too, as he was so distracted! However, with sensitive handling and just the right amount of changes of handler, Yannick grew in confidence. This in turn meant the jumping up at people reduced and he was able to transfer his affections onto his human Partner quite easily (in fact a bit too easily – on the Residential Training Course she allowed him on her bed then found he would get on it in the night when she was trying to sleep. It took her several days to own up to the Trainers so we could help her!)"
Ruth Narracott was Yannick’s ‘puppy parent’. This is what she had to say about him: "He really is a dog in a million. His unlimited enthusiasm in every task asked of him made my job as a first time puppy parent an easy one. You can see from the photos that at first he was a bit of a pickle, but we soon over came the initial hiccups and he became a much loved member of our family."
Yannick took part in many of our ‘Dog Demonstrations’ at our Centre in Heyshott (pictured below) and at Crufts, where he entertained us and the audience by falling asleep on the bed at end of the routine, and taking a shiny earring off a lady giving him a cuddle.
Heather Loan, who runs our East Sussex Satellite, said:
"Yannick liked to play with "dead" footballs, and would cuddle up to other dogs in the puppy parent’s home. He also enjoyed apple bobbing in a paddling pool on hot summer days and once gave the puppy parent a scare by using the children's slide! He was the quickest of the group to learn tasks, and became everyone's favourite."
Yannick finally made it on to the Residential Training Course in October 2006, and after passing with flying colours, he was partnered up with a lady in Hampshire. Yannick has settled into his new life very well, and we were delighted to receive the picture below, drawn by his Partner’s daughter:
