General Chat

We are getting a 15 week old Guide Dog puppy on Sunday, if all goes well, to look after for about a year. Our last one went off to advanced training a couple of months ago.

It was being "Puppy-raised" by an elderly gentleman who lived on his own and died unexpectantly, it is thought Sunday afternoon.

The alarm wasn't raised until yesterday evening so the poor puppy was on its own with his body for between two or two and a half days, with no food or water or access to a toilet area.

It was checked out at a vets and found to be dehydrated and starving with a urinary infection, which is being treated. We will have to treat it very gently not only physically but mentally as well as it was very distressed.

Hopefully, it will make a full recovery in time and go on to be partnered with a visually impaired person.

We dread to think what would have happened if the alarm hadn't been raised for several more days.

Poor man - and poor puppy.
I'm sure, with your experience with dogs, the puppy will make a full recovery <3 <3

Poor man, and poor puppy.

Like maggie, I'm also sure that your experience with puppies will help you to give that puppy all the support he/she needs to become a super guide dog.

What an awful thing to happen.
Poor man and poor young puppy.

Hopefully, with your family's experience and patience, the youngster can go on to lead a full and happy life.

Oh the poor man <3. Hopefully, the puppy is young enough to put that experience behind him/her with your love and care :-)

Well, we've got him home and he seems to be settling in - fingers crossed.

The puppy (Errol) who came under sad circumstances in April at 15 weeks old stayed with us until last Wednesday when we took him to Reading to start his intensive training.
So we had him for just over nine months, he got over the trauma and has been a real pleasure.
As usual, we are missing him terribly, but you know that your time with them is limited from when you are first given them.
Our German Shepherd (a withdrawn GD pup) is missing him too!
God speed Errol, show the trainers what you can do, please make us proud and qualify in about a year as a fully fledged Guide Dog to change someon's life.
So now waiting to see if and when we will be given another pup to keep for around a year.

Well done, Brian! <3

I'm sure Errol will go on to make you proud. :-D

It must be so hard to part with the young dogs, even though you know from the beginning that they are with you for a limited time.

Well done Brian and family and well done Errol, who will go on to make such a difference to someone's life.

Would that place be in Burghfield Common?

Yes, ZZzzz

I go past it on my way to Reading now and again, it's not far from where I live. :-)

Sounds like you have done a great job with Errol and he will go on to be a big support dog

Well done, Brian <3

and well done, Errol <3

Is the German Shepherd now your dog permanently??

Sylvia,
Jerome has been ours for exactly two years yesterday.
Six months before that we were asked to foster him for "two or three weeks" which got extended and extended so when it was finally decided that he would be withdrawn from training we applied to re-home him as he had become part of our family.

Lucky Jerome! <3

Indeed, lucky Jerome!

An American friend of ours many years ago had a golden Lab female that had been withdrawn from Guide Dog Training.

She'd actually failed one of the very last tests, which was to climb a ladder, walk across a glass panel and down a second level. She climbed the ladder OK, but froze when she had to put her paws on the glass sheet.

She was a lovely family dog, but was terrified when she was introduced to small puppies from a neighbour's Lab. Terrified again! She eventually had puppies of her own, and seemed OK with them, from what we heard.

I'm afraid that I could never understand that test!

That test is bizarre.
Were they traning her for a circus? !!

It sounds like it, doesn't it? :-D :-D :-D