Queenie - Guide Dog for The Blind Puppy

[Caz-N-Chooks]

Hi Mummy Hen, we've only got a week to wait now, mixture of excitement and nerves! Let me know how you go on with your application, we applied in July, then had to provide references etc, then the summer hols meant the Puppy Walker supervisor was on holiday so had to wait to have our home visit, which lasted 3 hours and a puppy walker and 8 month old pup came as well. PWS told us there and then that we'd passed and rang 2 days later to say we'd been allocated a pup.

[Benny&Co]

Looking forward to following all of your progress Caz

[Gwenoakes]

I had never even thought about who/how guide dog puppies were trained. Well done you for doing this, I am sure it will be a wonderful experience for you all including Queenie.

What happens to the puppies that fail, does anyone know?

[Robert]

Should make for some interesting progress reports, looking forward to hearing all about your adventures

[Mummy Hen]

hey,not long to wait now caz,bet your sooo excited,do you get your puppy on tues,good luck.x

[Caz-N-Chooks]

Hi yeah very excited but trying not to get my hopes up to much cos if she's poorly they won't bring her till the week after, the puppies quite often get poorly tummys with all the stress from leaving their Mum and going into the breeding centre for a few days where they are vaccinated and microchipped, so fingers crossed she will be ok to travel.

If the puppies are not suitable as a Guide dog then they are assessed as a possible assistance dog for the disabled or other type of working dog ie police sniffer dog.

It really depends on what the reason for unsuitability is. If they are not suitable for anything else they are first offered back to the Puppy Walker to buy from Guide dogs then they are put up for adoption, I believe there is a long waiting list for ex guide dogs.

[Caz-N-Chooks]

[Caz-N-Chooks]

Well Queenie arrived on Tuesday aged 7 weeks 1 day and weighing 4.66kg and so far apart from the housetraining is doing really well, a couple of nights with a bit of crying and the rest she's slept from 11.30pm till 7.30am with not a sound from her.



If she was a normal pet the house training would be going well as most of her toileting has been outside, but because she's a guide dog puppy she needs to learn to go in a designated Spending Pen which she has decided she doesn't like and will hold on and on until I give up, let her out and she squats right outside the pen! I'm not too concerned as she's so young I'm sure it will click with her sooner or later.





She may look very angelic in these photos but she has already discovered it's great fun to grab hold of the kids trousers and hang on, those little teeth are so sharp!



I intend to take a photo of her each time she gets a new bag of food delivered so we can see how much she has grown

[wendy]

What a little sweetie and what a worthwhile job she will be doing.
I will have to take a photo of Gwen, who I walk for her owner. She has just retired.

[Dinchy]

Aww bless her, what a sweetie. Good luck with her training

[madmum]

What a cutie

[Caz-N-Chooks]

If anyone would like to follow Queenies progress on her FaceBook Group please find it at http://www.facebook.com/groups/233032836753711/ and just ask to join

[Annie]

Caz , I can't believe how she has changed since you posted on the original pics , she has a proper little lab face now but beside her bag of food isnt she tiny ?

[Caz-N-Chooks]

Wendy I would love to see a photo of Gwen, how old is she?

Annie she seems to of grown since Tuesday, getting her weighed at the vets tomorrow for her wormer so will see how much she has grown.

[wendy]

Gwen is a 12 year old retriever. She retired about 5 months ago. She carried on working as she wasn't worked very hard ie: Ann doesn't go to work, so she didn't have to go very far in the latter years. I am afraid Ann has lost most of her mobility now, so cannot have another. So we all take turns in being her guide dog....taking her out
The old one I walked before Gwen was Odette, what a character she was and that is how we met. Ann was having some problems with her and couldn't get guide dogs to help. So rang me. That was about 17 years ago and we have been friends since. Odette died at over 16 years old, so Ann had the two of them together for some time.
Next time I take her is Tuesday so I will try to remember to take the camera.