'Incredible' assistance dog collects £1,250 donation for Hounds For Heroes in his 5,500th official charity event

Assistance dog EJ joined his owner Allen Parton and fellow canine friend Rookie as they collected a donation of £1,250 for the charity which Allen founded.

Clanfield resident and Gulf War veteran Allen started Hounds For Heroes to provide dogs to ex-servicemen and women and former emergency services workers in need after his first service dog Endal help him to recover physically and emotionally after a traumatic injury

Homes Estate Agents in Petersfield presented Allen and his two furry companions with a cheque to support the charity, which turned out to be a special milestone for EJ, whose name is short for Endal Junior.

Allen said: ‘The cheque presentation in Petersfield was especially poignant for me on so many levels - it was EJ’s 5,500th media engagement on behalf of the charity and it is incredibly humbling to have the staunch support of a local and caring company such as Homes.

‘Days like this are a clear reminder how lucky and so very privileged we are to be based in a country that wears its heart on its sleeve, brought so clearly into focus today by this incredible donation from Homes.’

The donation came as part of Homes’ 2021 community engagement campaign, and staff were over the moon to meet the trio.

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Charlie Barr, Homes joint managing director, said: ‘As soon as they arrived, we were just spellbound by the incredible intelligence, intuition and sensitivity of Allen’s canine companions.

‘What they and the other assistance dogs, which Allen’s team train up at their local base in Ramsdean, do for disabled ex-UK Armed Forces and emergency services personnel is truly remarkable.’

Allen’s extraordinary story is about one man’s determination to recover from a horrific military incident and then, against the odds, set out to help others in a similar position to his own.

With more than 900,000 injured and disabled service personnel in the UK today, the challenge for Hounds For Heroes is enormous, but Allen and his team face this with commitment and dedication.

Visit houndsforheroes.com for more information about the charity.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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