Since the dawn of time, dogs have been hailed as man’s best friend.

This unique relationship has led to our canine friends being used to help people facing difficulties in life such as blindness.

In 2004, national charity Dogs for the Disabled set up a revolutionary new service training dogs to help children with disabilities.

Now the charity is bringing the PAWS project (Parents Autism Workshops and Support) to the Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre in Wickhamford, near Evesham.

These workshops help parents who have children with autism explore the potential of having a pet dog which can assist with their development. They are designed to help with the choice of dog through to providing ongoing support once the dog is firmly part of the family.

Joel Young is from Dogs for the Disabled. He said: “There are so many uses for the dog the list is endless. The PAWS project has only been run by Dogs for the Disabled for the past 18 months. In this time they have found some incredible results with helping parents place a pet dog in their home.

“This is a unique service giving an opportunity for families to explore the possibility of introducing a pet dog to help overcome the challenges presented as a result of their child’s autism spectrum disorder.

“With a dog coming into the home, some children have learnt to speak after years of delay, some children start to develop social skills, other children stop bolting into the road when they have their dog, some have stopped expressing themselves through ‘meltdowns’, and so on.”

The PAWS project was set up last year. Already more than 100 families across the country have benefitted from taking part.

Rowan Saunders, mother of autistic four-year-old Oak, said the addition of their dog resulted in great progress.

She said: “In the last few months Oak has made huge leaps in his progress and I believe both Boogie and the help we have received from the PAWS project have been very much part of his success.

“A simple trip to the park can now be a happy family event, a definite change to the stressful scenes we once encountered. We are so proud of the things Oak has managed to overcome despite huge challenges.

“It’s great to find help in such a positive and relatively simple thing, the humble pet dog.”

The relationship between man’s best friend and his new owner is central to the success of the PAWS project.

But the ability of a dog to learn tricks has been shown by Dogs for the Disabled to also be an essential part of the child’s development.

Mr Young said: “Dogs for the Disabled have found some benefits include building a relationship and feeling responsible, but they also know a pet dog can bring a whole range of benefits to a child affected by autism.

“The way Dogs for the Disabled train their PAWS dogs allows them to become a positive, relaxed, calm role model for the child. They are also able to train PAWS pet dogs to play specific tricks to help a child’s development. For example, a dog waving can encourage a non-verbal child to speak.

“The domestic dog has lived with people for many years. This means that they are often more able to adapt to our homes and families more easily than other animals. As with any animal, however, owners need to be taught the correct skills to raise and train a calm dog.”

The next workshop will be held at the Dogs Trust Centre on Tuesday, December 13, and costs £30. Future sessions will take place on January 10 and February 7. Parents are advised to attend all three workshops.

Anyone who would like to take part should call 01295 759836.

For more information, visit dogsforthedisabled.org.