Every dog vaccinated leads to 25p charity donation

Hounds for Heroes is urging dog owners to have their dogs vaccinated as part of a new initiative, in which the charity will receive 25p for every dog vaccinated for kennel cough.

The Pounds for Hounds initiative will see Pfizer Animal Health donate 25p for each vaccine, to help the charity buy and train a puppy.

Hounds for Heroes provides specially trained assistance dogs to injured and disabled men and women of both the UK armed forces and civilian emergency services. It takes £20,000 to buy and train a Hounds for Heroes puppy.

The charity was established in 2010 by Gulf War Veteran Allen Parton. Allen spent five years in hospital, after a wartime head injury wiped out his memory, leaving him unable to speak, walk or write.

Allan was partnered with assistance dog Endal, and it changed his life by bringing back his independence. Endal was trained to respond to over 100 commands, as well as problem solve. He has even saved Allan's life by putting him in the recovery position and going for help.

"There are nearly one million injured men and women in the country today and if money were no object we would ensure that every single one of them had access to a Hounds for Heroes dog," said Allen.

"It costs £20,000 to train and provide lifetime funding for one of these dogs and it is initiatives such as Pounds for Hounds that help us get a bit closer to our goal.

"We’re urging dog owners to help their pets by vaccinating for Kennel cough and help us at the same time. Kennel cough is a highly contagious, airborne disease that is spread from dog to dog so can be caught when dogs are in close contact with each other such as in parks, on dog walks, in training classes and other places where dogs mix.”