We’re doing the 2026 Kiltwalk celebrating the life of Belle, best buddy, canine partner assistance dog and friend to many.

As a disabled person, Wilma first heard about Canine Partners whilst recovering from several fractures in hospital. Over time it became much harder to remain as independent as she could. Eventually, she decided the time had come to apply for an assistance dog not expecting to be considered but she was invited to Canine Partners’ training centre near Loughborough to be assessed. She had a home visit from their occupational therapist to check what support she might need from one of their highly trained assistance dogs, places she would need the dog to work with away from home, where she would take the dog for offlead exercise and much more. A few weeks later she got the call telling her their assessment panel had agreed to her going on the waiting list to be matched with a suitable dog. Three years later the call came a couple of weeks before Christmas saying the charity believed they had found a suitable dog to match her needs. It’s a phone call she had longed for and would 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.” Wilma wasn’t sure, she has 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, nervously she 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. She was smitten as Belle greeted her enthusiastically. They worked together throughout the day on various tasks and learnt a little about moving around safely in her wheelchair with a dog on a purple lead attached to it. At the end of their day together, sitting with a mug of tea Gemma asked how she thought the day had gone. She was ready to be told they didn’t think Belle was the right match. They both looked down at Belle who was sound asleep with her head resting on Wilma’s feet. A couple of months later, she spent 2 weeks back at the NTC for the intensive on-site training course before they came back together to Scotland to start their lives together and begin the process of building a strong bond which remained for nearly 7½ years.

As Wilma says, “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 her vet Emma Sharp at Dundas Veterinary Practice 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 Kiltwalk along with canine partner, Greg from Inverness 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 and enjoying life until very recently when, in consultation with her veterinary team and Canine Partners Wilma made the unbearably difficult decision to say goodbye to Belle. Their last few days and weeks together were precious as they went to places and did the things they loved together, Belle had great fun playing with some of her bestie dog friends and humans, friends took lots of photos and videos to look back on when the time is right. Belle celebrated her ninth birthday the day before she crossed the Rainbow Bridge looking deeply into each other’s eyes, her head resting beside Wilma’s feet as at the end of the first day they met. Wilma says she is blessed to have had her beautiful soulmate in her life and by her side for nearly 7½ years and misses her more than words can say but she is in the hearts of everyone whose lives she touched. Wilma is on the waiting list for a successor dog to Belle. With encouragement from friends, Wilma wants to do the 2026 Kiltwalk Wee Wander celebrating the life of Belle, her best buddy, canine partner assistance dog and more, and friend to many. She 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. This is the “Why I Kiltwalk” video from last year - have tissues at the ready. THANK YOU from Canine Partners, Belle and Wilma. 🥰💜🐾🌈

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.