Story
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<p>Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page..</p>
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<p><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">It must be some kind of midlife crisis, that is the only way I can explain it. I just don’t know what happened but what I do know is that impulse and the World Wide Web are a dangerous combination. </span></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: #000000;">One minute I’m looking at cute little puppies on a charity web site the next thing I know to my horror, I’ve signed up to do The BUPA Great South Run (apparently its great fun with over 23,000 runners on a fast, flat course around Portsmouth in late October) and the Brighton Marathon (it’s a Marathon need I say more).</span></p>
<p> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: #000000;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong><span style="color: #000000;">ME</span></strong> </span>running a Marathon, the only thing I’ve ever run was a bath and the fact I’ve led what can only be a called a sedentary life, at times so sedentary that I’ve made Jabba the Hutt look positively ‘Mr Motivator’ like is not made any easier by having two knees that refuse to bend and a back that refuses not to bend.</span></p>
<p> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: #000000;">So why do it? Because I‘ve seen the wonderful work Canine partners do in transforming the lives of people with disabilities.</span></p>
<p> <span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Now in their 20<sup>th</sup> year Canine partners are a nationwide charity, assisting people with disabilities to enjoy greater independence and quality of life through the provision of specially trained assistance dogs. </span></span></p>
<p> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: #000000;">Each dog is specifically trained to meet the needs of the individual no matter how challenging. </span></p>
<p> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: #000000;">They are trained to help with everyday tasks such as opening and shutting doors, unloading the washing machine (I've still not got the hang of that myself) picking up dropped items, pressing buttons and switches and getting help in an emergency. </span></p>
<p> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: #000000;">But it is not just the practical help they bring, a canine partner also offers companionship, a sense of security and increased social interaction.</span> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: #000000;"> </span></p>
<p> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: #000000;">It is both amazing and quite humbling to see this human, canine partnership at work and the bond of love and trust they share.</span></p>
<p> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: #000000;">Any money I raise will go towards the £10,000 cost of training a young Essex puppy called Osborne, a very cute and affectionate 1 year old who is just about to start his advanced training.</span></p>
<p> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: #000000;">Please help me to help the great work Canine Partners do.</span></p>
<p> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: #000000;">Please sponsor me.</span></p>
<p> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; color: #000000;">Thank You</span></p>
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<p> Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.</p>
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<p>So please dig deep and donate now.</p>
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