At Johnson’s, we are committed to supporting charities and initiatives that highlight the vital impact that trained animals have on people’s lives. For our 100th year birthday, we have partnered with five animal charities to raise awareness of the fantastic work they do and help support their fundraising efforts. This week we are putting the spotlight on one of our selected charities – Hounds for Heroes.
How we are supporting charities like Hounds for Heroes on July 31st
From Saturday 31st July till Saturday 7th August, Johnson’s will be donating a portion of sales made from every Johnson’s product purchased to one of five animal charities, with Hounds for Heroes being one of the benefitting organisations.
This fundraiser will apply to retail pet shops (excluding online sales), so whether you need more flea treatment for your dog or some tasty treats for your budgie, any in-store purchase of a Johnson’s product on July 31st will benefit one of our fiver charities.
Purchases can be made at any independent pet shop, garden centre or store retailer that stocks our products, which includes large chain stores such as Pets at Home.
Other ways to join the birthday celebrations
Do you own or work for a pet shop? We also have an exciting competition where pet shops can win up to £600 to spend on a fun day out of their choosing. Find out more here.
For more news on our upcoming 100th birthday celebrations, visit our Birthday page here.
Who are Hounds for Heroes?
Allen was left unable to walk, talk or remember much of his life when he was injured in the aftermath of the Gulf War. Then his life changed when he met his assistance dog Endal.
Allen Parton was a Chief Petty Officer serving in the Royal Navy during the Gulf War. During a tragic car accident in the Gulf, Allen suffered a severe head injury that left him unable to walk, talk, read or write. His memory was also wiped.
Left in “a bubble”, unable to communicate with his wife or his children, he was taken to a day centre, where he sat “in a vegetative state”.
It was a quirk of fate that led to Allen meeting a yellow Labrador assistance dog called Endal.
“I was shown into this building in Hampshire and there were puppies everywhere. I didn’t respond to any of them, so they weren’t interested in me – all apart from an 11-month-old Labrador called Endal.”
“He saw something on the floor by my wheelchair, trotted over, picked it up, and put it in my lap. Even though he didn’t get a treat from me, he kept putting things in my lap until I felt as though I was disappearing under a mound of stuff. Towards the end of the day, he got a smile from me – and that day, he came home with us.”
Endal helped to save Allen’s marriage and rebuild the relationship with his children. He became increasingly independent, and his wife was no longer on call twenty-four hours a day allowing her the freedom and peace of mind to pursue her own interests again.
In 2001, Allen was knocked out of his wheelchair by a speeding car and left unconscious. Endal took charge, put Allen into the recovery position, covered him with a blanket and fetched his mobile phone. Getting no response from Allen, Endal went to a nearby hotel and raised the alarm; he probably saved Allen’s life.
This amazing partnership started Allen thinking about setting up a new charity to help disabled personnel from the Armed Forces and Emergency Services. And so, Hounds for Heroes was born.
Providing dogs to injured military personnel and ‘blue light’ operators, the full life of the hound is funded by the charity, taking the financial burden of receiving support away from those in need. After 24 months of training the assistance dogs, the charity then processes applicants to match individual needs with the right dog.
With a team of committed volunteers supporting the charity, it is their mission to ensure injured or disabled men and women get the help they need, putting them on the road to recovery with the love and support of their furry friend.
Hounds for Heroes is a charity that is close to our hearts, as it understands the power of building healthy relationships with animals and how these bonds can enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities and life-impacting injuries.
Upon finding out that we were raising money for Hounds for Heroes, Allen commented:
“It has been a dream of mine to have a charity that works specifically for those who routinely put their lives in danger. Hounds for Heroes is our opportunity to give people the same chances that I had – we owe them a great debt and this is our way of saying thank you.“
“For this reason, we are extremely grateful to businesses like Johnson’s, who understand the importance of our work and are committed to helping us raise awareness, as well as vital funding.”
