Guide dog puppies enjoy ‘school trip’ to Birmingham’s National Sea Life Centre
A group of guide dog puppies from The Midlands have been exploring under the sea at Birmingham’s National Sea Life Centre.
The six guide dog puppies, JJ, Isha, Harvey, Harris, Oak and Kevin, each aged between four and 11 months, are being trained to be life-changing guides, by sight loss charity Guide Dogs.
They were invited to the centre to help support their socialisation training, and enjoyed walking through the exhibits and navigating the 360 degree Ocean Tunnel.
Each pup was accompanied by their volunteer Puppy Raiser, who looks after them until they are just over a year old, before they move to a Guide Dogs’ centre to start their formal training.
Volunteer Puppy Raisers for the charity provide puppies with vital foundations for their future role, teaching them basic commands and helping them get used to different environments.
Hannah Fox, local Puppy Development Advisor, said: “We’d like to say a big thank you to National Sea Life Centre Birmingham for allowing our guide dog puppies to visit.
“As our pups grow and develop, it’s really important that they are exposed to different sights and sounds, so they grow up to become confident guide dogs.
“To help support this, we try to organise days out for them, similar to school trips, where they can experience new places and learn how to behave well in these settings.
“SEA LIFE Birmingham has provided a fantastic, sensory environment for our puppies to explore, and our pups and volunteers have had a great day.”
Amy Langham, General Manager of the National Sea Life Centre said: “We are delighted to host the Guide Dog puppies at Sea Life Birmingham for their training.
“It is a pleasure to be part of such an important journey, helping to ensure that the dogs are prepared to provide independence and confidence to their future owners.
“We hope they had a fin-tastic experience at the aquarium and they’re always welcome!”
Guide Dogs works with attractions across the country, to ensure they are accessible for people with sight loss and to avoid illegal access refusals.
The charity currently needs more volunteer Puppy Raisers across The Midlands.
Guide Dogs provides support and training for its Puppy Raisers and cover all the essential costs involved with caring for a puppy, such as food and vet bills. To find out more about Puppy Raising for Guide Dogs, visit guidedogs.org.uk/volunteering or email volunteermidlands@guidedogs.org.uk
By Eleanor Stephens - Contributor
