I’m doing the 2026 Kiltwalk Wee Wander celebrating the life of Belle, my best buddy, canine partner assistance dog and friend to many.

As a disabled person, I first heard about Canine Partners whilst recovering from several fractures in hospital. Over time it became much harder to remain as independent as I could. Eventually, I decided the time had come so I sent off my application with supporting medical evidence not expecting to be considered but I was invited to Canine Partners’ training centre near Loughborough to be assessed. I had a home visit from their occupational therapist to check what support I might need from one of their highly trained assistance dogs, places I would need the dog to work with me away from home, where I would take the dog for offlead exercise and much more. A few weeks later I got the call telling me their assessment panel had agreed to me going on the waiting list to be matched with a suitable dog. Three years later I got THE call a couple of weeks before Christmas saying the charity believed they had found a suitable dog to match my needs. It’s a phone call I had longed for and will never forget: “Hello, this is Gemma, advanced trainer..we think we’ve found a good match..she’s a black Labrador retriever, with long legs, amber eyes and a high drive. Oh yes, and her name’s Belle.” I wasn’t sure, I’ve got short legs, blue eyes but did have quite a high drive! A few days later knowing that the first possible match wouldn’t necessarily be the right one, nervous me was sitting in the gym at the National Training Centre (NTC) near Loughborough. The door opened and in came this beautiful, tall black lab retriever with very waggy tail. I was smitten as she greeted me enthusiastically. We worked together throughout the day on various tasks and I learnt a little about moving around safely in my wheelchair with a dog on a purple lead attached to it. At the end of our day together, sitting with a mug of tea Gemma asked me how I thought the day had gone. I was ready to be told they didn’t think Belle was the right match. We looked down at Belle who was sound asleep with her head resting on my feet. A couple of months later, I spent 2 weeks back at the NTC for the intensive on-site training course before we came back together to Scotland to start our lives together and begin the process of building a strong bond which remained for nearly 7½ years.

Belle changed my life for the better and in ways I’d never imagined. I had far fewer injuries, fractures, was less fatigued etc because she helped me with tasks from seemingly simple things like picking up items I dropped; taking off my coat; bringing me things from elsewhere; helping me with shopping; opening and closing doors; when I was stuck and in pain she’d bring my medication then help me to move to ease the pain and she did so much more. We worked seamlessly as a team, we’d go out for walks in all weathers, in public places Belle would proudly wear her purple jacket and seemed to grown even taller, she’d grin when she was overjoyed to see you. We had lots of new experiences, met new people, going everywhere often took longer than before as people would see her working - getting me things from shelves, picking things up - and would ask about her and Canine Partners. I became a volunteer speaker for the charity and over our years together we organised various fundraising events: from virtual Paws for a Cuppa teas during lockdown with a goal of £200 Belle raised over £1,150 incl gift aid; in 2023 I asked a few friends if they’d like to do our first Edinburgh Kiltwalk 5 mile Wee Wander with us. Our team of 6 set a goal of £1,000 but raised £3,000. The following year our 10 strong team set a target of £1,000 and exceeded that with £4,165 donated by kind and generous people who had met Belle or knew of the difference she was making to my everyday life.

Belle had surgery at the Dick Veterinary Hospital in March 2025 to remove a small mass. To keep me occupied while she was convalescing with our Partnership Trainer, I signed up to do the Kiltwalk again and registered our team but very soon after testing revealed she had terminal cancer. I was told she probably only had a matter of weeks at most. As ever, my beautiful girl astounded her veterinary team, everyone at Canine Partners and our wider support team by recovering, thriving and continuing to love life. I checked her constantly and she saw Emma Sharp, her vet at least monthly. Over the coming weeks our team grew to 20 and the Marketing team at the Kiltwalk learned of our story and came to join us on one of Belle’s favourite walks. The film they produced for their social media platforms was moving but is now a beautiful legacy of my wonderful girl. Belle came on the walk along with canine partner, Greg again and along with his human and the rest of the team our target of £2,500 was quickly met with an overall total of £5,630 raised.

Belle remained well until very recently when, in consultation with her veterinary team and Canine Partners I made the unbearably difficult decision to say goodbye to Belle. Our last few days and weeks together were precious as I took her to places and do the things she loved, she had great fun playing with some of her bestie dog friends and humans, friends took lots of photos and videos for me to look back on when the time is right and she celebrated her ninth birthday the day before she crossed the Rainbow Bridge looking deeply into each other’s eyes, her head resting beside my feet. I am blessed to have had my beautiful soulmate in my life and by my side for nearly 7½ years and miss her more than words can say but she is in the hearts of everyone whose lives she touched. I’m on the waiting list for a successor dog to Belle. With encouragement from friends, I want to do the 2026 Kiltwalk Wee Wander celebrating the life of Belle, my best buddy, canine partner assistance dog and friend to many. I would love it if you’d like to join Team Belle’s Buddies and sign up to do the Wee Wander or one of the longer walks if you’d rather. When you’ve signed up and JOINED BELLE’S BUDDIES, you can create your own JustGiving page which should automatically link to the team justgiving. If you don’t want to create your own JustGiving page, you are welcome to use mine and I will keep a tally of how much you raise. This is the “Why I Kiltwalk” video from last year - have tissues at the ready. THANK YOU from Canine Partners, Belle and me. 🥰💜🐾🌈

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcOcmd-mSWY

Our amazing dogs bring a greater independence and quality of life to their partners, offering security, companionship, and practical help with everyday household tasks. They are trained to help with everyday tasks such as opening and closing doors, unloading the washing machine, picking up dropped items, pressing buttons and switches and fetching help in an emergency. Our life-transforming dogs also provide psychological and social benefits including increased independence, confidence, social interaction and self-esteem.