NEXT EVENT 3rd May come and have a chat on the Support Dogs Stand at Barking Mayhem event Stevenage. Check the Support Dogs UK site or Barking Mad DTS

Support Dogs is pleased to announce that the star trainer from BBC3’s Dog Borstal, Mic Martin, will be joining us as patron.

Mic Martin’s no nonsense approach to training comes from a long career as a police dog handler and has earned him the reputation as being one of Britain’s toughest TV trainers.

However, underneath the tough guy exterior is a compassionate man who really understands the difficulties faced by disabled people and the huge influence dogs can have on our lives as he ended up in a wheelchair himself for a year in 1996.

Mic’s career in the police force came to an abrupt end when he sustained a serious injury to his knee while in pursuit of thugs who had burgled a pensioner. After 26 hospital appointments, two major operations and a year unable to walk, Mic found himself out of the job he loved, housebound and feeling sorry for himself.

Mic’s life was transformed when his wife suggested they rehome a rescue Border Collie. Zak pulled Mic out of his depression and the pair were soon training for working trials. Mic still has to wear a leg brace but this has never stopped him entering competitions or held him back when the BBC asked him to appear on Dog Borstal. Mic is incredibly passionate about his work and has been hugely successful on film sets all over the world as well as training working dogs.

“I’ve trained dogs to do amazing things like being able to detect explosives and drugs but I am truly in awe of the work Support Dogs does training assistance dogs to alert their owners to epileptic seizure, for example,” explained Mic. “Having been a bit of a action man myself I hated asking people to do things for me. I know how it feels to be unable to do the things I once took for granted and I am extremely lucky to have made a full recovery. With the assistance of a fully trained dog it is possible to give someone not as lucky as me a chance of independence.”