Dog A.I.D. (Assistance In Disability)

04/09/2026

DID YOU KNOW? ❓❓

Dogs have 18 muscles controlling their ears!

If you have a dog, you might notice that their ears move around a lot. They actually have around 18 muscles responsible for moving their ears. These help them to change the direction of their ears slightly to hear noises around them better, and play a really big part in telling us how our dogs are feeling. A lot of a dog’s body language is expressed through what their ears are doing so a dog’s ears are vital in helping them communicate both with us and other dogs.

Dogs really are amazing!

If you enjoyed this, please like, comment and share—it's completely free, and it really helps support the work of Dog A.I.D. Every interaction helps us reach more people and continue making a difference. ❤️🐾

03/09/2026

Thank you to our client Danielle and her prospective dog in training TJ for sharing these videos with us. TJ is hoping to start off on his Assistance Dog training journey very soon but is lucky enough to have his big brother ( and qualified Assistance Dog) Buddy on hand to show him the ropes.

I'm sure you'll agree, he looks like he's taking to sorting the washing just brilliantly.

Keep up the great work TJ!

Please do like and share our posts - it costs nothing to share and helps us so much. Thank you 🐾🐾

01/09/2026

A wonderful write up about Leonie's incredible fundraising achievements. We are so lucky to have the support of Stagecoach North East as well, it means the world to us.

A Sunderland Stagecoach employee has raised thousands of pounds at this year’s North East Dog Festival

31/08/2026

🎉🎉Trainer Availability.....🎉🎉 NEW LOCATIONS ADDED!🎉

We are delighted to advise that we have trainers available in the following areas:

🌟Brough (East Riding of Yorkshire)
🌟Winterton-On-Sea (Norfolk)
🌟Ballymena (County Antrim)
🌟Grimsby ( North East Lincolnshire)
🌟Hedge End (Southampton)
🌟Lichfield (Staffordshire)
🌟Crowle (North Lincolnshire)
🌟Cromer (Norfolk)
🌟Llanrhidian (Swansea)
🌟Newcastle Upon Tyne (Tyne & Wear)
🌟Lymington (Hampshire)
🌟Gloucester (Gloucestershire)
🌟Stevenage (Hertfordshire)
🌟Radstock (Somerset)

If you are interested in registering for our services and live in any of these areas, please head over to our website and check our eligibility criteria for both you and your dog and register on-line at https://dogaid.org.uk/get-support-1

PLEASE do not contact the office to let us know you have applied - we will contact you to acknowledge receipt in due course. We have a high volume of emails to work through daily and emailing us will only delay us getting back to you.

In the event of multiple eligible applicants, the applicant closest to the trainer geographically will be matched initially.

Completing our register of interest form online does not guarantee acceptance onto the programme.

Liking and sharing this post will help us enormously and we would be so grateful.
Thank you.

30/08/2026

🌟 Sunday Spotlight 🌟

One of the things we love most is celebrating our incredible Assistance Dogs and the amazing people they support every single day.

From Labradors and Golden Retrievers to Spaniels, Collies, Poodles, mixed breeds, and many more, our Assistance Dogs come in all shapes, sizes, and personalities. Each and every one is trained to provide support that's as unique as the person they help.

Our dogs perform an incredible variety of tasks, including:
🐾 Retrieving dropped items
🐾 Opening and closing doors
🐾 Assisting with dressing and daily living

Every Assistance Dog has a different story, a different role, and a life-changing impact. They give their humans confidence, independence and companionship. That's why our Sunday Spotlight is dedicated to showcasing the wonderful diversity of our Assistance Dog partnerships.

Follow along each week as we introduce more of our amazing dogs, celebrate their achievements, and share the difference they make in the lives of their disabled owners. ❤️🐕

This week it’s BEANIE
Breed: English Springer Spaniel
Age: 10
In training or qualified: Qualified
Favourite task to do: Picking up dropped items
Favourite place: Any shop and the amusement arcades when on holiday!
Favourite toy: A ball or his fluffy parrot

If you enjoyed this, please like, comment and share—it's completely free, and it really helps support the work of Dog A.I.D. Every interaction helps us reach more people and continue making a difference. ❤️🐾

29/08/2026

WOW - WOW - WOW 🌟🎉🐾

Leonie, our amazing volunteer fundraiser and Mum to qualified Assistance Dog Nelson attended The North East Dog Festival last weekend to raise funds for us - they raised an enormous ..............

£1758.00!!!
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Leonie and her incredible team of volunteers run this stall for us every year and it just gets better and better. We need to say a huge thank you to:

Stagecoach North East - thank you for sponsoring the stand again this year - we are so grateful for your ongoing support.

WildPaws Naturals
Lilley's Kitchen
Nutravet
Village Photography
The Paw Pantry (Hillary)
Mighty Mutt House (Durham)

Also thank you to everyone that donated items for the tombola and to all of the stall holders that bought a team on the football cards.

Finally the biggest thank you goes to Leonie and your wonderful team of volunteers, we are blown away with the amount raised and can't thank you enough. We know how much time and effort you put into this every year for us and words don't seem enough, your support helps us change lives.💝🌟

28/08/2026

It's Trainer of the Month time again!!!

We're so pleased to announce that our Trainer of the Month for August 2026 is....Caroline Pen*stone !!!🎉

Caroline of www.castdogtraining.co.uk has been with Dog A.I.D. since 2023 and has had 3 clients, 2 of whom are now qualified and she has done a whopping 8 assessments for us in the last 12 months alone!

Caroline's most recently qualifed client says:
“Caroline has been absolutely wonderful to me. I couldn't have had a better trainer. It was especially nice of her to come along to my final assessment. She really went above and beyond, all the way through the process. I'd have been lost without her"

Thank you so much for everything you do Caroline, we couldn't change lives without you. 🐾💝

27/08/2026

🎉🎉We are celebrating ANOTHER qualified partnership🎉🎉

Please join me in congratulating Barry and the very handsome Nelson who have successfully passed their level 3 assessment and are now an ADI accredited Assistance Dog partnership. We are thrilled for you both. Nelson is Barry's successor Assistance Dog, taking over from the beautiful Alex, Nelson you have big paws to fill but we know you will 🐾🐾

Huge thanks to our trainer Vicky and our assessor Caroline for all of your support and help, we couldn't do it without you.

Enjoy your independence Barry, you totally deserve it!

Please do like and share our posts if you can, it is free and helps us raise awareness of our work.

26/08/2026

What does your Assistance Dog mean to you?

This International Dog Day, we asked some of our ADUK Ambassadors what their assistance dog means to them. Here are some of the words they used when describing their highly trained assistance dogs and the impact they have on them as handlers each day.

[Image Description – Dogs Paw Print shape with word cloud inside alongside ADUK Logo. Words used in the word cloud are: Companion, partner, loyal, trust, magic, joy, confidence, sidekick, essential aid, dependable, my eyes and ears, protector, best friend, a reason to keep going, support, superstar, love, life-changing, freedom, partnership, dependable, family, independence, security, hope, safety, belief]

26/08/2026

Happy International Dog Day 2026! 🐶❤️

Today we celebrate all dogs — not just Assistance Dogs, but every loyal, loving, hilarious, and endlessly adorable four-legged friend who brings joy into our lives. 🐾

This photo of Buster enjoying his holidays made us smile, and we’d love to see the photos of your dogs that make you smile too! 📸🐶 Share them in the comments below. ❤️

Here’s to all the walks, cuddles, muddy paws, wagging tails, adventures, and unconditional love. Give your pup an extra treat and a big cuddle today! 🦴🐕💕