Autism Dogs

In September 2020 Trefoil awarded Autism Dogs a grant of £3,690 towards their ongoing training of Autism support dogs for individuals supported by the charity. Autism Dogs work across the UK and support a number of young people in locations across Scotland.

Autism Dogs provide fully managed ‘Assistance Dog Programmes’ with ongoing education and therapeutic support for each client and their careers. Autism support dogs provide a range of benefits for their owners including reducing stress, providing a calming environment, help in forming strong bonds and improving communication skills. The dogs support their owners to overcome the challenges faced in their everyday activities.

The grant from Trefoil is currently being used to deliver training and support to Autism Dogs service users. Keeping the training of dogs and their skills up to date has never been more vital than during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is with both individuals suffering from the isolation caused by current restrictions and with therapy dogs having less opportunity to operate outside of the home.

Autism Dogs successfully ran a refresher training event in October for Chloe and her assistance dog Maise in Perth. Maise has since assisted Chloe in attending University as a new student.

During and beyond the pandemic Autism Dogs are working to improve the wellbeing of people by helping them in accessing public spaces, participating in education or work and providing the joy four-legged friendship. More updates on the work of Autism Dogs can be found here.