Ms Jennifer Dowler:

At Irish Dogs for the Disabled, we do not deal with autism but solely with physical disabilities. We train two types of assistance dog, namely, a stability dog for children like Olivia who has difficulties in walking and, second, a dog for wheelchair users which is required to be able to open doors, turn on and off light switches, trigger alarms and so on. Olivia would not be able to walk down the steps today without her dog. When she came to us for training last summer, she could only walk for about ten or 15 minutes while holding her mother's hand. Last weekend she walked 5 km. That is the difference a dog makes. We work with a lot of children who were told they would never walk and who are now walking. Moreover, their gait has improved, their heels are on the ground and they are getting stronger and taller. Our concern is for physical improvement, getting people stronger and more active in society and achieving their full potential. If somebody catches Olivia's shoulder as he or she walks by, having her dog with her means that she will not fall to the ground. If she does, she can get back up unassisted rather than have somebody pick her up.

For wheelchair users, having an assistance dog means they can get themselves out of bed in the morning if their special needs assistant does not turn up. They can turn on the light. If they fall out of their wheelchair, they can access emergency services because the dog will hit the alarm button. They can let the emergency services enter their home because the dog can open the door. We are now putting dogs into primary and secondary schools and workplaces. They are allowing people who previously could not leave their home to play a full part in society. They no longer have to worry about falling out of their wheelchair because even if that were to happens, their dog would get help for them. If they drop their wallet or keys, the dog will pick it or them up. Rather than looking at a future in she would be wheelchair bound, Olivia can now look to a future in which she will be able to walk down the aisle to get married. That is the difference an assistance dog can make and I see it all the time with our clients. The dogs are truly life changing. Our clients are often quite sceptical initially when they get the dogs because our style of training is quite new. Many parents have faced years of seeing their children get worse and worse, their high muscle tone increase and their becoming, as a result, more disabled. When the dog arrives, the child suddenly can walk to the bathroom or around a shopping centre. It is quite a simple process in that once children start moving and walking, the stronger they become and the stronger they become, the more they move. Our clients could not conceive of being without their dogs.