A LITTER of puppies from a Yorkshire town will be trained up to help disabled and physically challenged people.

Labrador Ivy, which belongs to Angie Hall of Pocklington, gave birth to nine puppies at the end of October, six male and three female.

Seven of the puppies will be trained up by national organisation Canine Partners, and the remaining two will go to other assistance dogs charities.

Canine Partners is a charity that helps improve the independence of people with disabilities by providing specially trained dogs, which can help open and close doors, unload a washing machine, pick up dropped items, press buttons and get help in an emergency.

The names of the puppies going to be trained by Canine Partners are Poppy, Piper, Peony, Pam, Pepper, Prince and Huggy, and have all left Ivy this week to start their training. The remaining two puppies will be trained by alternative assistant dog organisations.

Laura Molyneaux, communications officer at Canine Partners, said: "Ivy’s litter is going to change the lives of nine people with disabilities.

"The puppies are just about to go into the early training of their career as assistance dogs, which will one day go on to transform the life of the partner they are matched with. The more puppies which go into training, the more people with disabilities that can be helped."

Last month, The Press spoke to Mike Hardy from Wigginton, who suffers from Ankylosing Spondylitis - a painful and progressive type of arthritis which fuses some joints and bones of his spine together, and now uses a wheelchair.

He has been working with an assistance dog named Chipper from Canine Helpers since 2012, and said it had changed his life.

He said: "People ask me what he does for me - I normally reply 'brings joy to my life'."

"Chipper has changed my life for the better. I can honestly say that by having Chipper has made my life worth living and gets me out of bed."

For more information on Canine Helpers go to caninepartners.org.uk