Petersfield charity Hounds for Heroes determined to offer a helping paw to ex-servicepeople and former emergency service workers despite pandemic challenges

Clanfield resident and Gulf War veteran Allen Parton received serious head injuries while serving in the Royal Navy, but was helped back to recovery by a dog named Endal.

Allen said: ‘I was injured in 1991, and when I woke up, I couldn’t remember being married. I had no recollection of my wife and children.’

He spent five years in hospital, and any chance of meaningful recovery seemed remote - until Endal dragged Allen ‘from the pit of despair’ and transformed his life.

Allen and his wife fell in love again - although he says that his memories before the injury are still gone - and over the years Allen has been supported by Endal Junior (or ‘EJ’) and Endal the Third (or ‘ET’).

He said: ‘Endal Junior and I could be man and dog - he did 5,500 events for charity and he really kept me going’.

Inspired by his transformative friendship with Endal, Allen decided to create Hounds for Heroes to offer the same opportunity to injured personnel from the military and the blue-light services.

The charity trains and provides dogs to ex-servicemen and women and former emergency services workers to help them in their physical and emotional recoveries.

Now, Hounds for Heroes is emerging from a ‘challenging’ two years during the pandemic - but Allen says the charity has ‘managed to come out of it’.

He said: ‘We are still here - we have had this challenging period and now we want to get back up to speed.

‘We have got the fire in our belly to make it happen.

‘We want to be here, placing trained dogs with those who deserve them.’

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Allen is inviting anyone who thinks they might benefit from having a dog to find out more about the charity, and is asking those who think they can support Hounds for Heroes to get in contact.

He said: ‘We are desperately in need of puppy parents, who have the dog for 14 months to socialise them.’

With support from a trainer, puppy parents help teach the dog the basic life skills that an assistance dog requires.

Visit houndsforheroes.com.