Loveable ‘scruff’ Fergie has a very important job
This loveable ‘scruff’ is honing his skills to become someone’s lifeline.
Fergie the Labradoodle is a rescue dog who is being transformed into a life-saving assistance dog by the Sheffield-based Support Dogs charity, which trains and provides dogs to help with a wide range of challenging medical conditions.
The four-year-old pooch was sourced from the Oak Tree Animals’ Charity Rescue Centre, in Cumbria, earlier this year.
Following a three-month assessment to gauge his suitability to be trained as a support dog, he underwent three further months of being taught taskwork which will significantly change the life of someone with a disability.
Fergie will soon be putting these skills into practice with a client as he has recently been matched with a woman from Birmingham who has a neurological condition called transverse myelitis, which is caused by a swelling of the spinal cord.
Fergie has been taught a range of life-changing skills, including unloading the washing machine, opening doors, fetching items and helping the woman to get dressed.
“We could have confirmed their match in the first hour of the process,” said Support Dogs trainer Joe Dickinson. “She just loves him.”
And a further super-power of Fergie’s is he is hypo-allergenic, which means his fur is similar to human hair and doesn’t shed dandruff – making him perfect to slot into his client’s household.
Joe explained: “We needed a hypo-allergenic dog for this lady as her as a family member is allergic to dogs. They needed a non-shedding dog, so Fergie is ideal.”
Support Dogs prides itself as being a champion for dogs who need a second chance – in fact, over the past 33 years, one in four of the charity’s life-saving and life-changing pooches have been sourced from rescue centres, council pounds or from owners who sadly can no longer look after their pet.
But Joe says a rocky start doesn’t mean these dogs are untrainable.
“Fergie may take a little longer to start picking things up than other dogs because he doesn’t have that same history of learning, but it’s also been quite nice to teach him, because he’s like a clean slate.
“We’ve just had to start everything from the beginning and we’ve not had any pre-existing problems to work on.
“I’ve really enjoyed having him – he’s such a nice dog. I’ve always been a fan of a really scruffy dog and as lovely as Labradors are, it’s nice to have something a bit different. I also love his little face – he always looks so happy. All of his foster carers have loved him – he’s quite easy-going.”
When not in training, Fergie loves walks and splashing in water.
Support Dogs is always on the lookout for hypo-allergenic dogs, to cater to clients’ varied needs.
If you can help source such a dog, or if you wish to find out more about the incredible work of Support Dogs, please visit www.supportdogs.org.uk or call 0114 2617800.