They are the dogs that offer their owners so much more than companionship.

They are the dogs that can load the washing machine, summon a lift, collect the shopping from shelves and then pay for it.

They are, of course, the dogs from Canine Partners which help transform the lives of people with physical disabilities, most of whom are wheelchair users.

The dogs are trained to respond to a wide range of commands, enabling them to carry out around 100 tasks including operating a pedestrian crossing or lift button, retrieving a wide variety of items such as keys, an inhaler, crutches or a phone, assisting with dressing and undressing, carrying out a range of emergency response procedures – and, yes, picking chosen items from supermarket shelves, and then handing over a purse and items at the checkout.

As well as helping with these day-to-day tasks, the canine partners willingly offer invaluable companionship, unconditional love and affection and a sense of security and support.

The dogs are mostly retriever breeds such as labradors, golden retrievers and crosses of these. They are chosen for their ability and desire to help and trained using the most up-to-date reward-based methods.

But before they begin their training, the young dogs need to live for many months in a secure and loving home where puppy parents help to socialise and prepare the youngsters for the challenging career that lies ahead.

And that's where you can come in.

An urgent plea for puppy parents has been issued by Canine Partners, the Heyshott-based national charity.

These foster parents play a vital role in providing a life-enhancing experience for people who live with a wide range of disabilities, and more volunteers are urgently required in this area.

The charity has puppies from six to eight weeks and older, ready and waiting to be loved and socialised for anything between two months and 12 months.

For anyone who offers to take one of these puppies into their home to share their life and family, plenty of advice and support is available.

In classes at Canine Partners' training centre and at home, the foster parents learn what it takes for a furry bundle of mischief to turn into a fully-trained and qualified canine partner.

Julie Berkley, who lives at Pulborough, has played a vital role as a puppy parent and aftercare assistant since 2001 and has found it an enormously rewarding experience, although before that she knew very little about dogs.

She now shares her home with Xyla, a Canine Partners' demonstration dog, and two puppies in training – Isadora and Lola.

"I am a proud mum of two lads aged 11 and 13 and before the children I was a dance teacher, so I had no particular experience with dogs," she explained.

"When my youngest son started pre-school I joined a health club and one morning I was there having a swim and at the end of the pool was a small crate with a goldie puppy in it.

"The lady swimming next to me was a Canine Partners puppy parent. We started chatting and within three weeks there were two crates at the end of the pool!"

Julie was amazed when she began to discover the untapped potential of dogs to help people with disabilities.

"When I started I was shocked by how much the dogs can learn.

"They are trained to think and solve problems and they willingly try to help. Pet dogs must be so bored."

The remarkable capacity of the dogs to change people's lives is what motivates Julie to welcome the pups into her home.

"I am never going to be smart enough to cure cancer or any of the other horrible diseases out there. I am not rich so I can't change people's lives with money. But I can give my time to train a puppy who hopefully will grow up and change someone's life for the better," she said.

"I can make a difference.

"To see a dog next to the wheelchair, with their tail high, and the partner chatting away to them, as they trot off into their new life together – for a puppy parent it just doesn't get any better than that.

"And we get to cuddle lots of gorgeous puppies – how lucky are we?"

If you would like to become a puppy parent call Canine Partners on 08456 580480.