Parliamentary Secretary Justyne Caruana attended a service dog graduation ceremony this morning. The ceremony saw two dogs, named Ialta and Jack, given the certificate after long months of intensive training.

In her speech, Dr Caruana said that “government never stopped exploring and supporting initiatives to strengthen the rights of disable people for a more independent and dignified life within society” and  this can be seen with the introduction of Empowerment Programme in last year’s budget. According to Dr Caruana this leads to greater inclusion and participation for persons with disabilities at every level of society.

She also congratulated and thanked all the work the Malta Foundation has done, and said that the service will be instrumental to the people who benefit from it, by providing them with a more secure life.

The Parliamentary Secretary emphasised that guide dogs are no longer exclusive to the visually impaired, but were also beneficial to persons who suffered from deafness, autism and even diabetes.

On behalf of the Malta Foundation, Mr.Joseph Stafrace expressed its satisfaction at the training of the guide doggs and thanked all the trainers who contributed to the success of the programme.