In February, the meeting of the Inner Wheel Club of Retford happened to fall on Valentine’s Day, so it became a ‘Bring A Partner or Friend’ event. Members enjoyed their meal and business was dealt with quickly. It was very nice to welcome visitors to hear the speaker, David Brocklehurst, speak about ‘Medical Detection Dogs and Medical Alert Assistance Dogs’. Accompanying David was Alice, a red fox retriever, who is an Ambassador Dog for the charity. The high level of training needed to prepare the dogs for their work lives means that other dogs, like Alice, are used to travel around as representatives. She had to undergo training too, in order to make sure that her temperament was such that she was easy with people and not phased, by sudden distractions.
The charity was founded in 2008 and relies solely on donations. These dogs are trained to detect minute odours in urine samples which show traces of cancer, diabetes and other diseases. These bio dogs are owned by the charity but have foster families. They work the hours of a school day and are taken to and from work by their carers. When at home they are just like family pets. The medical alert dogs are partnered with someone suffering from a life-threatening illness like type one diabetes and they alert the person if their blood sugar drops to a dangerous level. They are constant companions going to work or school together. These pairings save the NHS a great amount of money. This is indeed a worthwhile charity where the natural gift of the dog’s highly developed sense of smell works for the benefit of us all. You can look online for ways of supporting this great work should you wish to do so.
On Sunday 24th February, the club held its Sunday Lunch event at Clarborough Village Hall. The club was delighted to welcome about 100 people to sit down to a tasty hot pie lunch, served with gravy, fresh vegetables and new potatoes, followed by homemade desserts, cheese and biscuits, coffee and mints. Together with a raffle, the lunch raised a good amount for Alzheimer’s Research. The event was rounded off by a singsong.
Visit their website to find out more, www.innerwheelofretford.co.uk.