I am trying to pull together a Government briefing document – very quickly – to make the case that when people are enabled with a well-trained assistance dog it actually saves the country money. Can you help me prove what we all already know?
Have you looked at this already? Any other countries done this research – can you share? Have you done any research that shows dogs generally have a positive, tangible health/social benefit?
Australia recently made the provision of assistance dogs part of every disabled person’s care package – so that, if appropriate, the provision of an accredited assistance dog could form part of the joined up solution to a better life.
Their Government looked at it and found these dogs actually saved the country money as well as being wonderful!
Help us prove it here, too.
We think assistance dogs make people much more likely to go back to work, or if that isn’t possible, they can often allow other family members to become more independent after needing to often give up work to be full time carers.
Did this happen to you? Can we share your story?
Drug bills can decrease as people get happier and healthier.
Did this happen to you? Can we share your story?
I have an amazing anecdotal account I carry in my head and in my heart of someone I met who got an assistance dog to help with a specific physical disability – but found the dog helped in many wonderful and unexpected ways. After spending years very depressed, indoors, alone apart from visits from social workers and medical personnel, very heavily medicated and a known suicide risk – their life changed forever when the unconditional love of a very, very smart dog was added to the equation.
He effortlessly lost significant weight as he started to have a reason to get out of bed again, started going out and interacting with people again – confident with the dog by his side. This change led to a dramatic reduction in his heavy medication needs and he no longer needed daily home visits from nurses and he stopped being frequently hospitalised.
Life changed so much, this recluse even found love, too. Life before had seemed so hopeless, but the dog loved him when he felt unlovable.
It was a few years ago when I last spoke to him, but he was going to the gym and getter stronger every day so the prospect of becoming a tax payer again was looking very real.
The dog gave him a reason not to die.
The dog could load the washing machine and pick up his keys, but the gift that dog brought was a reason to live. All the doctors and pills had not been able to take his pain away after a terrible accident at work. Imagine the money that dog has saved the country… imagine the price other people in that very dark place would pay for that reboot of their lives.
I want to find more of these stories that show adding a dog saved the country a fortune (and changed someone’s life too, of course), but Government needs to see how these four legged alternative social workers are also very good for the country’s bottom line…
The changes are not always that dramatic, but many people’s lives are substantially changed – even saved – but we need to prove it!
We have only two weeks to put together a briefing document that could start the ball rolling … can you help in any way?
Email me with how you can put the most convincing argument for assistance dogs being recognised in the UK- like they have just have been in Australia.
Be you recipient, family member, trainer, scientist, doctor… anyone who can add their voice to what we say to the Minister.