With only a week to go before we reach the end of British Summertime and the hours of daylight shortening each day, dog walkers across the UK are bracing themselves for exercising the dog in the dark.

But specially trained dogs from the charity Dogs for the Disabled won’t be getting lost in the dark this year. Pets at Home together with their suppliers Sinclair Animal & Household Care Ltd have provided K9 Lite flashing dog collars to every Dogs for the Disabled assistance dog to help their human partners exercise their dog safely in the evenings and early mornings.

Linda Whiting of Pets at Home explained why the store had decided to give away over 250 collars for existing partnerships, dogs in training and young pups. "Dogs for the Disabled is our chosen charity of the year; as well as fundraising we also wanted to give practical support. This year we have met many of the partnerships created by the charity and seen how a dog can give freedom to a disabled person. We hope that the collars will ensure they can still exercise their dog over the winter months."

Marie Carden has been partnered with her dog Venny, a yellow Labrador, for three years. Venny helps her with many every day tasks that she would find difficult to do without him; from helping her to dress and undress, to picking up dropped items or collecting the post each morning. Marie says that she couldn’t imagine life without Venny. "Before I had him I was a virtual recluse, never wanting to go out alone, but since having Venny I feel confident and have made many new friends, now people are lucky to catch me in."

Every assistance dog is highly trained to help their disabled partner, but just like any dog they need their free-time when they are let off the lead to run around a park or field and this is an established part of every Dogs for the Disabled’s partnership routine.