26th April 2024 • My Family Our Needs

For the next interview in our National Pet Month 2024 series and to celebrate Guide Dog Day 2024, we chatted to Robbie Campbell at Guide Dogs UK about their buddy dog service.

With the power to open up conversations, Robbie spoke about the ways four-legged friends are giving children with a visual impairment the confidence boost to put themselves in the spotlight.

1. What is the main objective of the buddy dog service and how does it support children with a visual impairment?

At the buddy dog service, we place dogs with children with visual impairments. It’s a way families can benefit from a dog that hasn’t made it to be a guide dog and is there to support as a ‘well-behaved pet’ dog. The dogs aren’t taught specific tasks to become a buddy dog but bring children companionship and along with it, a lot more confidence. 

A lot of the time families will apply for a buddy dog because their child might be struggling with their mental wellbeing or creating peer support at school. Having a dog come in and change that focus can be really positive.

A family’s life may be significantly affected by things such as hospital visits and we’ve had families say that a buddy dog is the first positive thing that’s come out of their sight loss journey. It gives everyone in the family that different focus and a bit of breathing space. For example, going out for a walk is beneficial for the parents as much as it is for the child with a visual impairment.

2. When would a family look into applying for a buddy dog and what are the benefits of a buddy dog?

The benefits will vary a lot for every family. A lot of the children that we work with have other additional complex needs alongside their visual impairment. So, sometimes the benefits that they get from the dog are more related to those needs than it is necessarily the visual impairment.

Most families will apply because they are looking for companionship for their child. The average age of children applying for a buddy dog is around 10 so it’s that transition period where they’re becoming more aware about their visual impairment and why they might be a little bit different to their peers. Having a dog can just help through that transition.

It is a large commitment, so it isn’t for everyone and it depends on what’s going on at home and how far along people are in their health journey. If you’ve got a young child who’s recently diagnosed, there’s a lot to absorb and sometimes that’s not the right time. A dog could be beneficial further down the line.

3. Do you have a matching process to make sure that the right dog goes to the right family?

The first step is for families to join a buddy dog discovery webinar that explains what a buddy dog is and things to consider. A lot of families will be first-time dog owners, so we go through the reality of what having a dog is like as well as the benefits they’ll hopefully bring. If people want to, they then have the choice to send in an application form and that’s where it’s picked up by their local buddy dog partnership specialist. They will arrange a telephone call to go through their lifestyle, how the dog will fit in and what benefits the family is hoping to get from a dog. This helps us identify what specific characteristics we look for when matching a dog.

It’s important for families to remember that none of the dogs are going to be perfect. There will always be a reason why they didn’t make it to be a guide dog like a quirk, a health reason or something that they need extra support with. The families will need to adapt but we also find out what characteristics would suit the family and if the dog’s personality or behavioural needs will have any major impact on them.

We’re very good at our matching and the more detail we have from families, the better. We aren’t able to provide a selection of dogs to choose from so it’s a trust in our matching process.

4. What are the responsibilities of the family in caring for the buddy dog?

The buddy dog’s legal ownership is retained by Guide Dogs but day-to-day care falls to the family. We help people with that and provide lots of guidance before they get their dog. Throughout the partnership, support is always available at the end of the phone. 

We check in with the family once they’ve got their dog. During the first year, we have a couple of check-ins and then an annual check-in until the end of the partnership and that’s as a minimum with more support available if needed.

There are certain standards that families need to adhere to like keeping their dog a healthy weight, feeding them a healthy diet and so on. It is a big responsibility and a lot of families will be first-time dog owners, so we are used to supporting people through it and, in most cases, once you’re in the swing of it, people flourish into their dog ownership.

5. Is the family responsible for the cost of the dog and is there any financial support from you?

Families are responsible for the day-to-day costs so that would include things like dog food, veterinary bills, toys, bedding and so on. We have just launched a pilot we’re offering to people who apply this year covering any non-routine vet bills for buddy dog families who need it.

There is also support available such as discounts on the recommended dog food. So, it is supported but the financial commitment is something that people need to consider. There isn’t any charge for the dog or the service.

6. What does the time frame of a buddy dog partnership look like and is there a maximum time a family can have a buddy dog?

Once a buddy dog is placed with a family, our goal is they are there for the rest of their life. The majority of buddy dogs come out of the training stage of their journey to becoming a guide dog and therefore are usually around the age of 2 when placed with a family. There is no retirement age for buddy dogs however if circumstances change and the dog is no longer supporting the child as a buddy dog then we would look to rehome the dog to the family as a pet if appropriate. Examples of this would be if the child moved out of the family home or became a guide dog owner.

7. Does the scheme support SEND children too?

Although the primary reason we’d be putting a dog to a family would be in relation to the visual impairment we do work with a lot of families who have children with additional or complex needs. 

Although the dogs are not trained specifically to support with these needs, they can help with these such as helping with developmental skills, picking things up for those who use wheelchairs or helping navigate transitions. 

8. Are the permissions for buddy dogs different from guide dogs and are buddy dogs allowed in spaces in the same guide dogs are?

Buddy dogs don’t have the same legal access rights as guide dogs. We provide a branded jacket or bandana to raise awareness that the dog is a buddy dog, but families should inform establishments before visiting that the dog aids the child with a visual impairment. Most places are accommodating.

9. In what scenarios would a family choose a buddy dog over a guide dog or are there scenarios where they can both exist?

We do have young people coming up into their teens or going into their early 20s who do go on to get a guide dog once they’ve had a buddy dog. Sometimes the buddy dog can teach things like how to care for a dog which sets people up fantastically for when they do apply for a guide dog.

As part of the guide dog criteria, you have to be able to demonstrate a certain level of independence which, regardless of visual impairment, is usually only relevant as children get into teenage years. Therefore, for most children who are looking for support from a dog, a buddy dog is more appropriate than a guide dog at that stage. However, it’s case by case and if a guide dog will be more suitable down the line, we consider that with the buddy dog application as well. If a young person was successful in their application for a guide dog whilst they had a buddy dog then we would look to rehome the buddy dog to the family as a pet.

10. How do you monitor the impact the dogs are having on the families and are there any criteria that help you see these positives?

In terms of assessing the impact, our buddy dog partnership specialists have a close relationship with the families they’re working with. We have five buddy dog partnership specialists across the UK who work with the families and take them through the application process. They’d be the ones placing the dog with them and the ones checking in. You develop a good relationship over that period and as part of the ongoing support, families share lovely stories of how the dog’s having an impact on the family.

 For example, we’ve just placed a dog with a slightly older child and within two to three days of placing the dog with them, we received a photo of him walking out in the field with the dog. Prior to getting a dog, he wouldn’t want to come out on walks but it’s given him that reason to get out and about and to do things which is fantastic to see.

We’ve had children who have opened up about their sight loss as well. With one of our partnerships, Sam and Jago, Jago hadn’t spoken to anyone about how he felt about his visual impairment, including his family. In a short space of time of buddy dog Sam coming into the family, Jago has said to mum that he ‘felt sad that his eyes didn’t work properly but happy because he got his buddy dog’. That was just the start of him opening up to people about how he felt about his visual impairment which led to him talking to other family members about what he could and couldn’t see.

We have a lot of children who go into assembly and talk about their buddy dog. This can lead to them sharing why they might need adjustments at school such as why they need to sit a little bit closer to the screen in lessons. So, it just leads to those conversations and confidence. A lot of the children wouldn’t have the confidence to go out and do these things, talk to strangers or put themselves in the spotlight but because it’s about their dog, they’re willing to do so, which is fantastic.

11. Are there any support groups or communities where buddy dog owners can come together and chat about their dogs?

We’re in the process of setting up our first-ever buddy dog event, which is very exciting. We’ve got an event happening in the Midlands in June so we’re hoping that we’ll have that running smoothly and therefore can roll out in a few different areas as well. That will be open to buddy dog partnerships but also people who are interested in applying for a buddy dog might want to meet a few.

Last year we set up a buddy dog Facebook group. That’s open to all buddy dog partnerships and anyone who’s in the process of applying for a buddy dog. People need to have already put in an application form and had a telephone conversation with us first just so we can make sure we’re vetting people, but it is a great place for people to share about their dogs and to ask questions. Off the back of the group, we’ve had families meeting up which has been amazing.

12. Is there anything you would like to add you feel would be beneficial for parents or families?

If people are interested in applying for a buddy dog then please visit our website (Buddy Dogs for Children | Guide Dogs UK) or give us a call on 0800 781 1444.

If people are considering applying but are concerned about the financial barrier then please remember the financial support being offered to people who apply this year.

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