Asda Westwood raises the ‘woof’ fundraising for local school’s therapy dog

The 3-month-old Labradoodle will be an invaluable support for the children’s mental well-being and progress in school. Penny is adored by all the pupils and teachers at St. Oliver Plunkett Primary School, but incurs extra costs for the school, as she requires continual training, food, and care.

Ann-Marie McCallion, Community Champion at Asda Westwood, works closely with the local community, and has hosted the school twice to fundraise for Penny, the beloved therapy dog.

Ann-Marie said: “We recently had St Oliver Plunkett Primary School fundraising instore for its therapy dog, Penny. This is the schools’ second time fundraising instore, raising over £1,200 so far towards nurturing Penny.

“We would like to thank all our amazing customers and colleagues who donated to this lovely cause, as funds will go towards continuing Penny’s training, as well as her day-to-day needs like dog food and treatments.

“Penny is just amazing for the primary school and will help children with additional needs through therapy. The pupils and staff at the school love her, and we also adore Penny - some of our colleagues and I enjoyed some much-needed therapy ourselves from Penny on a busy Saturday in Asda Westwood!”

Shauna Taggart, Nurture Teacher at St. Oliver Plunkett Primary School, fostered Penny, and takes her to weekly training sessions provided by Assistance Dogs NI.

Shauna said: “On Wednesday 10th January, staff and pupils at St. Oliver Plunkett welcomed the 10-week-old therapy puppy into the school. Penny has already been a very big hit with everyone.

“We attend training sessions on Friday afternoons by Assistance Dogs NI, which should take around 11 months to complete. While she isn’t quite ready to go into classrooms and work with the children yet, she is learning basic commands and getting used to the sights, smells and sounds of a busy school.

“As a school we are constantly exploring preventative measures, as many of our children have social, behavioural and well-being difficulties, such as ADHD, ASD and other co-occurring developmental disorders.

“Our staff have a wealth of experience and training in these areas, but welcoming a therapy dog adds an additional level of preventative care in the overall excellent practice delivered by our school.

“We need to raise £7,000 to fully adopt and train Penny, and we are so grateful to colleagues and customers at Asda Westwood as they have kindly supported us in this journey, allowing us to fundraise and collect money twice already in their store.

“All the staff have been unbelievably supportive and welcomed Penny, as well as our staff and pupils with open arms.”

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8t0k8c