Stokes

This is Stokes he is my new guide dog puppy. He came to me aged 7 weeks
he is a retriever Labrador his mom was the retriever, there were 12 in his litter
and they all have names beginning with s he is so sweet.

• you can see how little he is this is his bag of food
• he is now 15 weeks and he is still on his first bag.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Amble

Amble was born 14th June 2009.
 

He is a full Golden Retreiver, he was not bred by the Guide Dogs but donated to them. 

He came to me at 10 weeks old which is quite late to receive a Guide Dog Puppy as they are normally 6/7 weeks old.

(Amble was very thin when he came to me, so thin that he could fit through a catflap)

He is a lot different than most of the Guide Dogs as he was not bred by them.  This means that he has been much more difficult to train and his temperament is very different and I have had to work much harder with him to get him up to standard.

(This is Amble at play)

(This is Amble at 9 months old a total difference to the skinny pup that first arrived)

Victor

7th August 2008 Victor was born.

Victor is a Yellow Labrador Retriever, born of a Black Labrador mum and a Golden Retriever dad. 

(He was an adorable looking puppy and was approx 8 weeks in this photo)

He was 6 weeks and 6 days old when he came to me, William got on with him from the beginning.  When the puppies first arrive they sleep in a specially made dog cage,  Victor was brilliant from day one and I didn't have to get up to him at all in the night. 

(Victor was such a character and would always cross his paws when he lay down)

He was very easy to train and very eager to please and affectionate, although he did pull on the lead slightly.  He was very exuberant and with his recall and this resulted in a broken wrist for me, which was not really his fault, as I had turned my back and did not see him coming.  As a result he went to a foster home for 8 weeks but then returned to me for his last training.

He passed both his Bronze and Silver Good Citizens Awards whilst with myself and I was very proud of him. 

He left me on 30th September to go to Atherton Training Centre for Guide Dogs, which is the next stage.

He spent four months there doing intensive training and moved on to an individual training who teaches him how to guide a blind person. 

I was pleased to receive the news that he had passed the training course and has now been accepted as an Official Guide Dog and will be partnered with a young blind person on 23rd of April.

I have had chance to go and see him once more before he goes to his final job on 12th April. 

It is extremely hard to say goodbye to the dogs and this being my first time and the fact that I bonded with him so much it was very difficult, but at the end of the day I am so proud of him and the fact that he will be helping someone to live a full life.  It was wonderful to see him. he is just so clever I was so proud of him and he was so pleased to see me.  We saw him train and it was wonderful and we spent 5 hours with him.  Now I just have to wait for the pictures they will send me.

Becoming a Puppy Walker

Puppy walking is a crucial part of Guide Dogs’ work. Although done on a voluntary basis, it takes a lot of time, commitment and love. The end result, however, is a very special animal indeed.

The Role of a Puppy Walker


Puppy walkers play a vital role in the early socialisation and education of guide dogs. At about six weeks of age, puppies start their early training, remaining with a puppy walker until they are around one year old, at which point they are transferred to a training centre to begin their specialised training.
The aim of puppy walking is to produce a puppy that is socially well behaved, friendly and responsive to the handler. It is also important that the puppy is at ease in all environments, including town conditions, is relaxed and confident when using all types of transport and learns an acceptable standard of behaviour on the lead. As each puppy is an individual, you are advised on the best way to achieve good results and the most appropriate time to introduce the puppy to these new environments.

The job is to take the puppies into shops, cafes, restaurants, lifts and public transport, it is your job to ensure that the puppies interact with different enviroments. 

William

This is William, he was my first guide dog puppy. He came to me when he was 7 weeks old, he had a black labrador mum and a golden retriever dad, he is a black labrador retriever. He was in training with me until he was 7 months, unfortunatly he was rejected because he has atopic dermatitis, he is allergic to dust, household mites and grass. He has to have steroids daily to try to counteract his itching.

I had the opportunity to keep William which I did, he is a wonderfully placid dog and has been accepted at a P.A.T dog (Pets at Therapy), which means I take him into hospitals/hospices and homes so that he can bring joy to sick and terminally ill people who can longer have pets.

William was born on 22nd June 2007.  He has completed Bronze, Silver and Gold Good Citizens Awards which is the biggest dog training scheme in the UK.  Its purpose is to encourage responsible dog ownership and the tasks are quite ardous for the dogs, and these increase in difficulty as the awards progress.

William is quite a comedian, trying to get in through the cat flap

He loves to relax and has a really sweet face

The beach is one of Williams favourite places to play

William was about five months old here and loved to play with plant pots

This is William at 7 weeks old