Super-pup Maisie has the world right at her paws

Support Dogs, whose training centre is in Brightside, trains assistance dogs for children with autism, adults with epilepsy, and adults with serious medical conditions such as MS or cerebral palsy.

Her trainer Ellie Keen says: “Maisie is very, very smart, which can be a bit of a double-edged sword. She is very intuitive to people’s emotions – she knows when someone isn’t feeling themselves, but she can also tell when someone is a soft touch and plays on that!

“We’re not sure which programme she will end of in yet – she’d be really good for seizure alert because of her confidence, excellent for autism because she is good with children, and because she is really smart, she is very good at task work (such as picking up dropped items, opening doors, unloading the washing machine) so she’d be ideal for the disability programme. She’s a great all-rounder pup!”

Maisie has been with her puppy socialisers Fiona and John Burton from Crosspool since she was an eight-week-old puppy. Fiona is now preparing to say a tearful goodbye, as Maisie moves into the next stage of her full-time training to become a life-changing support dog.

Says Fiona: “We’ve had Maisie for 18 months now, and she is our first dog as a puppy socialiser.

I always wanted a dog and had been aware of the charity, but I’d been working as a teacher, so it was impossible.”

Now Fiona, aged 63, works just one morning a week at Lydgate Infant School, and Maisie has been a regular presence at assemblies and talks with pupils.

She has also been going on walks with two little boys with special needs, which could stand her in good stead if she goes on to work with autistic children.

“I am feeling a lot more emotional about her going than I thought I would,” says Fiona. “She is about to morph into an absolutely beautiful dog, and I will miss her dreadfully. But it’s been a real joy, and we have made some good friends with other puppy socialisers.”

John Burton, who is a vet in Barnsley, raised more than £1,000 for Support Dogs from a Ride London charity event, and the couple intend to take another puppy when Maisie moves on.

Adds Fiona: “We’re taking a few weeks off for a rest. Maisie is an ardent chewer so I need a bit of a break, and I will keep her in my heart until we go again with a new puppy in the New Year!”

Would you like to be a puppy socialiser for Support Dogs?