Colette is Carlow champion for Dogs for the Disabled

COLETTE Hanlon, a resident of Rathvilly has become the Carlow champion for Dogs for the Disabled, an organisation that brings four-legged assistants to those who might need them.

Colette first became familiar with Dogs for the Disabled in May 2022 when she was socialising a dog for them and she now has her own therapy dog, Jasper.

“Jasper is a wonderful support to me as I face some significant health challenges. He’s also become a fond friend to my mother, Kate, who’s now in her 90th year. She’s forever trying to feed him! While it’s only been a few months, Jasper and I have established an immeasurable bond and are enjoying exploring life together,” said Colette who’s originally from Baltinglass, County Wicklow.

Colette is just one of the 26 champions across Ireland that Dogs for the Disabled has appointed in a recent publicity campaign.

Since the charity’s formation in 2007, they have worked tirelessly in transforming the lives of children and adults living with physical disabilities with highly-trained assistant dogs, free of charge.

Now the charity is stepping into the spotlight as they aim to raise money to establish a permanent training ground for their dogs for that they can help more people.

They want to renovate a period house on 11acres outside Cork city as their permanent home. Their initial goal is to raise €500,00 to get the house fit for purpose while operating it in tandem with their ongoing work. It’s important to the charity that the funds are raised and the renovations are carried out as soon as there’s a waiting list of three years for children and adults to get their canine assistants.

They have set up a Godfundme page so if you’d like to donate to the cause, go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/Dogs-for-Disabled-New-HQ-Build