Guide Dogs

Meet Hank and his puppy raiser, Bernadette!

Hank is settling in to life in Sandyford with his puppy raiser, Bernadette.

Hank is Bernadette’s 7^th puppy she has raised so he is in good hands! He is a bit of a cheeky chappy and a bit of a character, something that Izzy has shown also. Their raisers are finding it hard to be too hard on them. Training for Hank is also going very well at present and presenting to be a very quick learner.

 

 

Photos of Hank - he's growing fast!

Hank

Hank

Hank

Hank

Here are some gorgeous images of April who will become a brood, a mum, to many more superhero doggies. It will be some time yet before she has her first litter but we can't WAIT for that cuteness!

Here's Hank enjoying some Christmas shopping and looking forward to a visit from Santa!

Thanks to his raiser Bernadette for these lovely photos of Hank. He's a real beauty :)

Hank, Izzy and Champ - look at them now!

The Irish Guide Dogs we have sponsored have returned to Cork for further assessment and training and they are after getting so big while they have been away! Aside from being adorable these doggies are on a mission to train hard and work to help empower people to move safely and confidently around their communities.

Hank has been selected for the Guide Dog programme and has begun very well.

Izzy is settling in well after an initial stressful period for her after leaving her home but staff at HQ are looking after her well. She is still been evaluated for her suitability for either the Guide or Assistance dog programme.

And Champ has been selected for the Assistance Dog programme and has displayed an excellent temperament for this. He will hopefully come through to work with a family of a child with autism.

The Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind is an amazing charity - please donate if you can!

Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind website - https://guidedogs.ie/

The Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind Goal Is Simple

We support people who are vision impaired and families of children with autism by providing life-changing services.

With your help we create exceptional partnerships between people and their dogs.

Our highly trained dogs empower people to move safely and confidently around their communities.

Aska has been up matched with a guide dog owner in Wexford. Isn’t she gorgeous?!

Find out more about the amazing charity Irish Guide for the Blind -

https://www.guidedogs.ie/

Here's a few photos of our lovely sponsored guide dog Champ at Claremount Beach!

Thanks to his raiser Kathy for these great shots!  :-)

Introducing our new Irish Guide Dog pups - Pebbles, Pepe and Percy.

As part of the ongoing sponsorship Rosie & Jim are funding three new puppies for two years. The €30,000 sponsorship covers their vitally important training. With more than 270,000 people who have a visual impairment in Ireland and over 1% of the population impacted by autism, the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind works tirelessly to facilitate those affected by providing them guide and assistance dogs. The average cost of training a dog is in the region of €53,000 and the charity rely on 85% of their funding through sponsorship like this and fundraising to continue to deliver their vital services for free throughout Ireland. Their services are offered free of charge.

John Burke of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind said:

“Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind is proud to have Rosie & Jim come on board once again with this wonderful support. We are very fortunate to have such valued supporters who have been instrumental in helping to train our dogs and to truly help change lives. As the P litter enter their puppy raising phase and on to their formal training, we look forward to updating you all on their progress. Thank you again for the amazing support”

The puppies were named by our lovely customers in a competition. Thanks to our winners Sinead Walker, Emer Mary Breen & Sinead O'Rouke for these great names - Pebbles, Pepe and Percy!

Here is Pebbles, lovely photos and a great detailed update from puppy raiser, Niamh...

“Pebbles is now 8 months old and her confidence is growing more each week. She has been to Smyths and Nimble Fingers where she walks beautifully past the plushies even though these are her absolute favourite. She has been to many restaurants and cafés and has patiently accompanied her raiser grocery shopping in Dunnes and ALDI. The sheep figure outside Fenelons butcher in Stillorgan caused her some consternation at first but now she sails past - even though her nose tilts towards the aromas wafting from the butcher. She visited Dundrum Shopping Centre in the evening when it was quiet and popped into the cinema for a brief visit to a movie. She was alarmed at first walking into the darkness but an offer of cheese sealed the deal and she lay down happily keeping her attention on the lovely treats she received while she was there. She has met her brother Pepe and another trainee puppy called Dillon for free runs and her recall is strong even when she's zooming around with her friends”

We're thrilled to hear she is doing so well. And she got to meet her brother Pepe - one of our other sponsored dogs. Well done Pebbles!