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DogFriendly Supports
Recovery Assistance
Dogs

Helping to train dogs to support people with mental health needs

We are delighted to announce that DogFriendly are now the official sponsors of the charity RAD - Recovery Assistance Dogs. RAD are dedicated to helping people suffering from mental health conditions by providing the highest quality training for Assistance & Companion Dogs

What is RAD?

Assistance & Companion dogs allow their owners to enjoy a greater independence and quality of life. Currently based in and servicing the population of Leicester, RAD are striving to help more people across the whole of the UK.

Assistance Dogs (AD’s) are dogs that have been trained to firstly, be well behaved, and secondly to recognise certain behaviours in their humans and respond to assist them.

How do they help those less able?

An example would be anxiety. If a person is prone to anxiety attacks then their AD would sense that condition starting to happen by noticing their owners breathing and change of behaviour and would touch their owner constantly on their hand or leg to distract them and ground them, or if a panic attack were to happen the AD would sit/lie on the chest of their owner and create deep pressure therapy to steady their owners breathing. How amazing is that?

A range of Support

RAD members' Assistance Dogs range of support starts at small actions to big actions, like saving lives, as they are specially trained in responding to the circumstances and situation of their owner. Companion dogs are well-behaved and well-trained dogs that can help build your confidence and improve your wellbeing by giving you a reason to get out more.

The RAD AD's are essential travel companions for RAD members to help them live & enjoy their everyday lives safely.

RAD Dog Friendly Places

RAD also plan to provide venues for people to visit with their dogs, including dog friendly coffee shops and agility courses to promote a healthy lifestyle and somewhere to meet, chat and have fun. The first of these venues, the RAD Agility Course is due to open on the 25th September 2021 in Leicester. These plans are close to our own mission helping to open places for dog lovers to meet and share their stories.

DogFriendly are delighted to have the opportunity to work with RAD to raise much needed funds and to promote their services to dog owners, introduce their training course to dog trainers around the UK and to help them open more DogFriendly venues across the UK for people with mental health conditions, to meet, chat and enjoy the health benefits of a more active lifestyle as well as the unconditional love of one of these wonderful dogs.

You can donate to RAD using the link below.

Donate Now

Partnering with

About Us

We have the largest database of dog friendly places to visit, eat and services.

We have a team of DogFriendly scouts who research every venue, either by completing a telephone questionnaire or by visiting and testing it in person.

Where We Are

Unit 4 Bramley Road
St Ives
Cambridgeshire
PE27 3WS