Generous delegates at UKIO meet support dogs and their owners

Delegates at UKIO 2019 helped boost funds for charity Support Dogs, when they met black labradors Dave and Ruby and their owners with disabilities on the Canon Medical Systems UK stand.

Support Dogs was chosen as a UK charity by Canon Medical Systems earlier this year as part of a wider #madeforlife corporate social responsibility initiative. The charity trains specialist assistance dogs to provide safety and independence for children and adults affected by a range of medical conditions.

Canon Medical Systems UK managing director Mark Hitchman said: “Nearly £800 was raised for Support Dogs at UKIO by contributions in donation tins, encouraged by a toy dog giveaway. This is fantastic and we thank the UKIO community for embracing the charity so enthusiastically.

“Meeting our clinical community and industry peers at UKIO is always one of the highlights of the calendar year, but to have also helped a worthy cause at the same time is an added boost.”

Support Dogs fundraising manager Danny Anderson said: “The amount raised from event delegates is gratefully received and will help keep up a family partnership for about four months in terms of subsistence and maintenance of their assistance dog.”

Among the work the charity does is to train dogs to provide warnings up to 50 minutes in advance of epileptic seizures, and autism assistance dogs to help children stay safe and reduce anxiety. Disability support dogs are trained to provide day-to-day help for those with conditions including multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy.

Canon Medical Systems UK launched its Alphenix range of interventional imaging systems and showcased CT, MRI and ultrasound equipment, a range of service options and a relocatable CT unit at UKIO.

Picture: Support Dogs owners were on the Canon Medical Systems UK stand to explain the life-changing assistance such dogs give to families.

Published on page 6 of the September 2019 issue of RAD Magazine.