Backed by puppy power
AsthecharityGuide Dogs celebrates its 90th birthday, Elizabeth Archer goes behind the scenes to meet the life-saving canine companions
AS I step into a pen full of blankets and dog toys, nine tiny puppies leap towards me.
Kneeling down, one snuggles into my arms but within seconds, I’m joined by the rest – chewing my trousers, hanging off my top, wriggling on my lap and licking my elbow.
As I am gently mauled, I can’t help but wonder if anyone would notice me slipping one into my backpack. But I’m not here to choose a pet – these eight-week-old pups are the next generation of guide dogs, who will provide vital support for people with sight loss.
I’m at Guide Dogs’ National Breeding Centre in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, where 1000 dogs are raised each year. This year, the charity celebrates its 90th anniversary, having trained more than 36,000 dogs with the help of 16,000 volunteers.
Guide Dogs began in 1931 when two women – Muriel Crooke and Rosamund Bond – trained four dogs in a lock-up in Wallasey, Merseyside, to help soldiers who’d lost their sight in World War I after being exposed to gas.
Three years later, the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (now known as Guide Dogs) was formed.
In 1960, it began breeding its own pups, to help rule out health problems and make the selection process easier.
Then, in 1981, Blue Peter’s dog Goldie gave birth to an adorable litter of Guide Dog puppies, helping the nation fall in love with these vital support dogs. Penny Hefferan is 58, and has been a guide dog owner since she was 19 after being born with sight loss. She recalls the life-changing impact of her first dog. “I’ll never forget the day I first walked through the town centre with a black labrador called Zara,” she said. “I was used to walking into people and people falling over me when I was in a crowded place. But as we made our way through the throng, I felt Zara weaving in and out, slowing down and speeding up. No one even brushed past me. I got to the park and burst into tears because I had done something that I never thought I could do.”
Zara transformed Penny’s life, giving her the confidence to make new friends at music college. She went on to have a successful career in the arts, before moving into PR and eventually getting a job at Guide Dogs, liaising between the charity and dog owners.
She lives with husband Mike in Leamington Spa and the couple have two grown-up children, Kier and Millie. Since Zara, Penny has had eight further guide dogs. Now, she and her dog Questa walk to work every day.
“It’s about having that companionship and confidence boost. I don’t know what I’d do without Questa,” she said.
At the breeding centre I find out more. “Guide dog parents are specially selected for their health and temperament, and we spend a long time matching them to ensure as many of the pups as possible can become guide dogs,” said head of breeding Matt Bottomley. As we tour the centre, I’m amazed by how scientific the process is to ensure the perfect match.
Each litter of puppies is carefully bred to ensure the smallest chance of health problems.
Any dogs that don’t make the selection process go on to be companion or buddy dogs, for instance for people with autism.
The parent dogs live with volunteers, and once the charity has a potential match, they’re brought into the centre to get to know one another.
They are left alone as the staff wait for the magic to happen. Volunteers rear the puppies at home until they’re seven weeks, when they come to the centre for a week-long stay to be vaccinated and microchipped. Then they go back to the volunteers until they’re about a year old and ready to begin training. I meet Gemma Eley, who is training a retriever-labrador cross called Luna. Gemma is the fourth generation of women in her family, including her mum Liz, to work with Guide Dogs. “I’ve always wanted to be a guide dog trainer,” she said. “I grew up with them at home – I even remember a particularly naughty one eating a batch of cakes I’d made.”
Gemma shows me the obstacle courses the dogs do, weaving around barriers and parked cars ensuring there’s enough room for their owners.
Then she hands Luna’s harness to me so she can lead me around.
I learn to step back on my right foot and gesture forwards with my right hand to tell Luna I’d like to go.
I’m amazed how she navigates around parked cars which block the pavement, and when we come to a pedestrian crossing, I give the command for her to find the button.
If we arrive at the edge of the kerb, she stops, and if we come across any steps, she pauses with her two front paws on the first step to show me there’s a step up.
Soon, Luna will do more advanced training before going off to be a guide dog for about eight years. When they retire, the dogs often stay with their owners as pets.
One of Penny’s former guide dogs Clova is now being looked after by her family.
The puppies I met were adorable – but the way they improve lives is astounding.
“I’d like to say a massive thank you – to all the kids who put 20p in the tin when we’re collecting and the people who make massive donations,” Penny said.
Each litter is bred to ensure the smallest chance of problems