The assistance dogs 'serving those who served us'

A Royal Air Force veteran has said his assistance dog has made "a lot of difference to my enjoyment".

Marine is one of the specially trained dogs that Hampshire-based charity Hounds for Heroes provides for physically disabled serving and former members of HM Armed Forces and UK emergency services.

Brian Holland, who lives in Littlehampton, applied for one of their dogs when he retired permanently and said its trainers could update Marine's skills when his needs changed.

Debbie Pick from the charity said their mission was "serving those who have served us".

Holland had to retire from the Air Force early due to an incident and said he "deteriorated" as he aged.

"I then approached Hounds for Heroes when I knew I needed a dog and they were able to supply me one the following year."

The charity says its canines "help people regain independence, confidence and quality of life by supporting everyday tasks and providing trusted companionship".

It was founded by Royal Navy veteran Allen Parton, who himself had a "life-changing" experience with an assistance dog.

"Having Marine has made a lot of difference to my enjoyment and I can go places," Holland said.

"My wife knows I can go out on my own with him, he's effectively part of my care team, so he looks after things I pick up, anything I drop and generally leads me in the right direction."

The veteran said "you can teach an old dog new tricks".

"As you age your needs change, so [the charity] are really reactive and they're able to send the trainers out to update his skills.

"Even today I could teach him something with the right help."

Pick said Marine "has made such a big impact on [Holland's] life, giving him some independence" and taking him "out of isolation".

Holland said Marine gave him "a feel-good factor and also just keeps me confident".

"If I ever go out without him, which is very very rarely, I'm still talking to him like he's with me."

He said the dog could even sense when his blood sugar levels dropped.

"As well as Marine being an important part of my care team, the community generally around is really helpful.

"I've had school children say to me [after] he's been to the toilet, 'Don't worry about that, mate, I'll do that for you'."

Even though Holland will be receiving another golden Labrador called Blaze, as Marine heads to retirement, Pick said the dog would be staying with him.

"They have a working life of eight years until they retire around the age of 10," she said, adding that some of their partners were moving on to their second and even third dogs.

"We will always support as many people as we can. We ask for people to apply to us and not feel that they perhaps might not be worthy of having an assistance dog."