English Springer Spaniel

Here's another Crufts story. Alan Checkley and his Support Dog, Fudge, will be at Crufts on Friday 6th March. Support Dogs is a founder member of Assistance Dogs UK and also a full voting member of Assistance Dogs International, an organisation that represents assistance dog training programmes around the world. Every year Support Dogs receives in excess of fifty applications for dogs from each of its programmes, which means that there is currently a two-year waiting list. Without secure and regular funding the wait may be even longer and demand for dogs continues to increase every year.

I’ve met and interviewed Claire Guest several times, and I’m fascinated by the work she does. She trains dog to sniff out cancer, and has also trained a dog to detect low blood sugar level. She is a charming woman, and clearly a talented and patient trainer. I’ve also witnessed her dogs demonstrating their scenting abilities.