Veteran Glen and his best friend Hugo. (Image: Jill Brown Media)
Scottish prisoners to train BRAVEHOUND assistance dogs
A pioneering partnership, which will see prisoners involved in training assistance dogs for veterans, has been unveiled in Scotland.
BRAVEHOUND, the Scottish charity providing assistance dogs to former service men and women suffering from psychological and/or physical wounds as a result of military service, is teaming up with Restart Dogs, the leading provider of education courses in dog training in prison settings.
Established in 2013, BRAVEHOUNDs are specially trained to meet veterans’ needs, which could mean interrupting a flashback, putting some space between their veteran and those around, or reminding their owner to take medication and fetching it when required.
Restart Dogs, based in Leicestershire, operates within prisons, training prisoners to an advanced level in dog training techniques. Led by industry professionals in dog training, prisoners on the program are given an opportunity to contribute to society during their sentence, while improving their chances of employment on release.
During a pilot project BRAVEHOUND was gifted three black Labradors, from Restart, all trained by prisoners. Two are now matched with veterans and another is with a volunteer known as a BRAVEHOUND Buddy before being paired with a veteran.
The scheme has been so successful that the Scottish charity has decided to source all of its assistance dogs from Restart.
Glen, aged 47, from Dunbar in East Lothian, is one of the those who received a BRAVEHOUND as part of the trial scheme. After serving with the Royal Engineers in war zones like Iraq and Kosovo, he left military service in 2011 and was later diagnosed with Complex Post Traumatic Disorder (CPTSD).
In October last year his assistance dog, Hugo, arrived. Glen explained: “Before Hugo arrived I had been a hermit for years. I rarely went out and could only go food shopping to 24-hour supermarkets. I couldn’t face people, the experience was too overwhelming.
“Hugo has transformed my life. I call him my shadow. We go everywhere together, including to shopping centres! Having him forces me to go out of the house and it’s given me the confidence to start speaking to people.
“He’s also trained to identify when I am becoming anxious and will immediately comfort me, as well as bring me things like medication. I can’t imagine life without him.”
BRAVEHOUND CEO Fiona MacDonald said of the new relationship with Restart Dogs: “We’re really excited about this collaboration which will enable us to help more people like Glen since we’ll be using dogs that have already been given essential foundation training and life skills.
“Once the dogs come to us they will undergo enhanced training to learn how to develop the specific skills needed to support veterans.”
Restart’s founder, Rachel Trafford, added: “This is an ideal partnership. Both BRAVEHOUND and Restart are committed to making a lasting difference, with the shared goal of enhancing lives through the power of the human-animal bond.
“Our work helps to rehabilitate people in prison, giving them the professional skills and ability to work within the dog-training industry on release. It’s hugely rewarding to think that individuals we work with with could play a critical and life-changing role in veterans’ lives through this unique partnership.”
