London, July 14 2022 - Assistance Dogs International, the world’s leading standards setter and accreditation body for training assistance dogs, is honoured that dogs trained by two of its accredited member programmes have been awarded the prestigious PDSA Order of Merit.
Clive, a 10-year-old medical alert dog, was trained by Medical Detection Dogs, while Jerry, an eight-year-old PTSD assistance dog, was trained by Service Dogs UK. Both organisations are accredited members of Assistance Dogs International (ADI) and Assistance Dogs UK (ADUK).
Clive’s partner Michelle Sutherland, a police logistics officer, lives with Addison's Disease, a rare disorder of the adrenal gland with life debilitating symptoms. Clive uses his powerful sense of smell to alert Michelle when her cortisol levels drop up to four times a day. Over the years he has alerted Michelle thousands of times, avoiding the need for ambulance call-outs and hospital stays.
“My world would not be complete without Clive,” says Michelle. “Every day he makes sure I get life-saving medication when I need it, giving me my independence back.”
Jerry’s partner Mark Lanchbery suffered life-changing injuries while serving with the British Army and now lives with PTSD. The pair trained with Service Dogs UK, a charity which provides PTSD assistance dogs for veterans. “Having Jerry gives me and many other veterans a reason to take on life and learn to laugh and smile again,” says Mark.
“Assistance dogs improve the lives of countless thousands of people around the world by helping with practical tasks, enhancing independence, and boosting wellbeing, dignity and confidence,” says ADI Executive Director Chris Diefenthaler. “The PDSA Order of Merit is recognition of the great work that our member programmes do to change lives. Assistance dogs are proven success stories - they have demonstrable positive impacts on users and their families.”
ENDS
About Assistance Dogs International
Assistance Dogs International is the world’s leading standards-setter and accreditation body for training assistance dogs. As a worldwide coalition of nearly 150 non-profit member organizations spread across five continents, ADI is the world’s most diverse and inclusive assistance dog certification and standard-setting body. For more information visit https://assistancedogsinternational.org
About the PDSA Order of Merit
The PDSA Order of Merit, instituted in 2014, is given in recognition for exceptional acts of devotion to their owner or wider society and represents outstanding examples of the special bond that exists between animals and humans. The PDSA Order of Merit is part of PDSA’s Animal Awards Programme, which was instituted in 1943 by the charity’s founder Maria Dickin, CBE. For more information see
https://www.pdsa.org.uk/what-we-do/animal-awards-programme/pdsa-order-of-merit
Photos and videos of Clive and Jerry, together with their partners, are available from the PDSA (see below for contact details)
Media contacts
For media enquiries about Assistance Dogs International please contact Martin Atkin, ADI Communications Consultant [email protected]
For media enquiries about the PDSA Order of Merit, please contact Big Wave PR [email protected]