Meet Snoop, a dog like no other.
Like most friendly pooches, he can do tricks, give you his paw, and bring a smile to everyone’s faces with his cheeky antics.
Unlike most dogs, however, Snoop does not need regular walks, or food (and poop-scooping is entirely unnecessary.)
Snoop is a robot therapy dog, and the newest team member at Academy House, a daycare service for adults with learning disabilities on the Southside of Glasgow.
Director Amer Iqbal, who introduced Snoop to the centre, explains: “A lot of young adults with disabilities get wary around dogs, sometimes even frightened, so I started looking into getting a robotic dog.
“My brother has learning disabilities, and he absolutely loved him. He puts a real spring in his step.”
Amer adds: “When Snoop came to the centre, everyone loved it, they just wanted to pat him and it made them laugh.”
Snoop is “very lifelike”, says Amer.
“He will walk up to you and it’s just like a real dog,” he says, smiling.
Amer set up Academy House in 2012.
“My mum died when we were young and my dad and my stepmum brought up me and my brother Zafar,” he explains.
“When my stepmum died, I felt there was not a great deal out there for my brother, who has physical and learning disabilities, so I decided to set up my own.
“It’s all about improving lives and helping people. Sometimes there can be a tendency to keep mental health problems hidden, and I wanted to change that mindset.”
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The support at Academy House is “very personalised”, explains Amer, who left a career in financial services to set up the service.
“It’s driven by the people we support,” he explains. “We have a lot of days out, we read, there is music and dancing.
“The aim is to provide some respite for parents and families, who know their relative is in a safe environment.”
Snoop, meanwhile, has become a local celebrity.
“He is a real conversation starter when we are out and about,” says Amer, smiling.
“And whenever I put anything on our Tik Tok pages, it gets a lot of views.”
Check out our video of Snoop in action on our social media pages.
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