Zurich helps Local Canine Partnership Southampton woman and her canine partner receive corporate support

24th October 2007, West Sussex: Canine Partners (Registered Charity No. 803680), a charity specialising in providing highly trained assistance dogs to people with disabilities, is today praising the ongoing support of the Zurich Community Trust.  Funding from Zurich has helped Trish Jordan from Southampton, a wheelchair user as a result of a spinal injury, to gain back much of her independence thanks to her Canine Partner Quest.

Trish suffered a spinal injury in 1990, which has since deteriorated, leaving her reliant on her wheelchair.  She was also diagnosed with other medical conditions, which had left her very dependent on her husband and other carers. She met a Canine Partner at a local fete and decided to look into how such a dog might help her.  Trish graduated with Labradoodle Quest 4 years ago and hasn’t looked back since.

“Before Quest, I felt I was loosing both my independence and confidence,” comments Trish. “Quest is now such a big part of my life.  He helps pay for shopping, calls lifts, gets the door, brings me the phone, helps me get dressed and so much more.  I feel he has enriched my life and my confidence has increased - I’m just glad Quest chose me to be his human partner.” 

The Zurich Community Trust has been supporting Canine Partners for 7 years.  The £245,000 spent over that time has gone towards the following worthwhile activity:

• Dog training
• Senior Trainer salaries
• After care support
• Staff training
• New charity DVD
• Re-development of charity website

Isabel Campbell of Canine Partners reflects on the relationship, “The support we have received from Zurich has significantly aided us in training more dogs to help people with disabilities.  However, it goes above and beyond just funding as we have forged a strong ongoing relationship with Zurich’s Community Trust through staff volunteering such as painting and decorating, gardening and stewarding of events; through to assistance for the charity in the sharing of business skills.”

Steve Grimmett, Senior Programme Manager of the Zurich Community Trust comments, “Supporting charity’s such as Canine Partners reinforces our corporate aim of helping the community.  Our staff have developed a real affinity with Canine Partners over the past 7 years and are constantly amazed at the change a Canine Partner can bring to the life of a person with disabilities.”