TAILS will be wagging at Sainsbury’s Kempshott store on Saturday.

Around half a dozen dogs from a charity called Woofability will be showcasing their skills throughout the day.

The Dorset-based charity, which trains mainly golden retrievers to become assistance dogs for people with disabilities, will be at the store from 10am to 5pm.

It has been invited to the store to help raise its profile and to raise funds after the supermarket learned that one of its regular customers, Sophie Martin, was a recipient of one of Woofabilty’s dogs – a Toller, which is a breed that comes from Nova Scotia in Canada, called Alice.

The 16-year-old BCoT student from Paddock Road, in South Ham, suffers from chronic pain due to an as-yet undiagnosed condition where her limbs are easily dislocated.

“I was born with a condition that has gradually got worse,” explained Sophie. who now relies on the use of crutches and an electric wheelchair to get about.

She said: “My brain’s way of coping with me falling and my joints coming out is to switch off my body so my legs go paralysed and sometimes my arms.

“So Alice will just sit next to me and take my mind off it.”

Sophie is full of praise for Woofability, which trains the dogs for two years, after which they can undertake a number of household tasks such as emptying the washing machine, collecting the post, helping with dressing and undressing, and fetching the telephone.

“The main thing that Alice does is give me confidence,” said Sophie.

The store’s new manager Jason Hill said: “We’ve invited Woofability to the store to show that it is a safe place to shop for all of our customers, including those with disabilities.

“We learned of the charity through Sophie who is a regular customer with us.

“On Saturday, the Woofability team will be here demonstrating how their dogs can help with day to day activities including shopping.”