VIDEO: Watch how Albert the sausage dog is transforming the lives of lonely folk who have fallen in love with the adorable puppy

Six-month-old brown dachshund puppy Albert belongs to the Alcedo Group’s field care supervisor Paul Wilson and his partner, who live in Poulton, and is fast becoming a popular member of the to home care visiting team.

Paul said: “We’d not had Albert very long and I had been proudly showing photos of him to my lovely home care clients.

"Not many people can resist a cute puppy, so when one of them asked if he could come with me on my next visit I didn’t hesitate to take him with me and we’ve not looked back since.”

Alcedo say that the therapeutic benefits of dogs in a healthcare environment are well documented, with evidence proving that positive interactions with man’s best friend reduce stress, feelings of pain and isolation and increase quality of life, creating memorable moments to treasure for all involved.

That’s certainly the case in Blackpool where Albert has been a huge hit with Alcedo’s home care clients.

“Everyone has just fallen in love with him,” added Paul, “They are in awe of him when they initially see him as he is still very small and cute and can’t wait for a cuddle which has become his favourite activity when we are out spot checking.

"Many of our clients have had pets in the past and, for whatever reason, it’s not possible to have them now, so watching their joy with little Albert is beyond heart-warming for us as carers.”

With a few weeks of visiting already under his belt, Albert is loving his new job and the attention he receives – not to mention all the tasty treatshe has been getting.

Furthermore, Alcedo has received so much great feedback from families following Albert’s visits that it has started to recruit more four-legged friends for a newly-formed Alcedo Care Paw Patrol team.

Steve Sinnott, care manager for Alcedo in Blackpool, said: “Paul taking Albert out to visit his clients is a brilliant example of how our team use its professional knowledge and initiative to continually find innovative ways to delight our home care clients and improve their wellbeing. I’m so proud of Paul for coming up with this idea.”