Ruby the superdog has painted her own picture which is being sold to raise funds for Dog Assistance in Disability (Dog A.I.D.), a charity which helps people with disabilities train their pet dog to Assistance Dog level.

Ruby lives in Surbiton with her 19 year-old owner Megan.  After a head injury in 2011, Megan suffers from dizziness, poor balance, hearing loss and frequent fainting episodes which occur 4-6 times a day.  Megan has been training Ruby herself to carry out a number of helpful tasks and hopes to apply to Dog A.I.D. this year.

Ruby has produced an original stencil print herself by moving the paintbrush with her mouth along the canvas, which was auctioned via eBay.  Containing the words ‘My ability is stronger than my disability’ you can purchase digital downloads of the stencil and watch Ruby in action via http://rubythesuperdog.weebly.com/artwork-store.html.

Sandra Fraser Dog A.I.D. Chair explains: “Seeing Ruby actually paint a picture is very impressive.  Megan is an inspirational girl who does not let her condition affect her life.  Ruby already does sterling work helping Megan and as a Pets as Therapy volunteer, yet I hope we will be able to help her become an Assistance Dog in the future.”

Dog A.I.D. was established in the 1990’s and there are currently 47 fully qualified dogs throughout the country.  Training takes from 18 months to two years with both dog and owner receiving specialist education from a network of trainers based around the country.  The dog owner is given all the tools required to constantly reinforce training methods learnt and also continue to teach their dog new cues and tasks independently.

For further information how you can support Dog A.I.D. via fundraising or volunteering please visit www.dogaid.org.uk.