SPPOT, Supporting People and Pets Through Opportunity ' Training

Opportunities for People in Dog Walking and Dog Daycare

Every person who comes to SPPOT learns how to care for dogs properly and ethically, in ways that suit them, through our fully accredited training programme, which is tailored to the needs of each person. Training with SPPOT is fun and fully inclusive, with no requirement to read or write or to speak out loud to a group.

Training can be delivered in a standard, ‘start and finish’ style for those who want to get out walking dogs in the community as soon as possible or embedded into daily life at SPPOT, taking as long as needed. Once training is complete, all participants join the wider SPPOT Volunteer Team, (with our support staff or independently) walking dogs for community-based customers and providing dog daycare within our accredited training service.

Our services for dogs include concessionary rates for elderly and disabled dog owners to enable dogs to stay with their owners when they can no longer walk them. This reduces the loneliness that leads to depression and associated physical illness, thus reducing their need for health and social services.

The Benefits of Dogs to People
It has been scientifically proven that dogs benefit people emotionally, physically, socially and mentally. For people who enjoy the company of dogs, some of the additional benefits of becoming a part of the SPPOT Team include:

A clear purpose and worthwhile role in the community
Developing empathy, care skills, responsibility, resilience, creative thinking, social skills and communication
Dog walking provides fresh air, exercise, motivation, improves physical and mental wellbeing, community engagement—and fun!

Importantly, many skills for life can be taught through working with of dogs - for example:

Teamwork and self-reliance
Customer service skills
Bus skills and skills for navigation on foot
Laundry, budgeting, cooking, cleaning

The SPPOT Building
SPPOT Dog Headquarters is a modern, bright, warm, safe and accessible one-level building, with fully fenced gardens, close to the town centre with a bus stop out the front and wheelchair accessible dog walking areas directly behind.