However, Jonquil has sent us this lovely email on the progress of Misty’s puppies.
Misty's puppies went up to the National Breeding Centre on May 27th, when they were just 6 weeks old. The following day they went through their Puppy Profiling Assessment, which is a series of tests which give a good idea whether a puppy will respond to the very demanding training they will have to undergo to become Guide Dogs. The puppies think they are playing games! All of Misty's puppies passed with flying colours, so they have been accepted for puppy walking, and they are now out with the volunteers who will keep them until they are about 14 months old. There, they will learn the basic commands, and be given lots of experiences so that they are familiar with things they may meet in their future career. For instance, they will go on public transport, into shops, and out and about so that they learn how to behave in public.
I know that Monica did all sorts of things with Griff, such as taking him up the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth. Perhaps she included some of her photos in the album she gave you.
Finally, the puppies now have names - they are given their names when they pass the assessment - so we have : Zebedee, Zara, Zoe, Peter, Gweny, Rocket, Zea, Islay, Zorba and Bingo. The ones that begin with Z were chosen by people connected with Misty; those that begin with other letters are sponsored names, chosen by generous people who have given money for the right to name a puppy. For instance, Islay has been named by the group of puppy walkers where Misty grew up in Scotland, after a Scottish island.
To see video footage of Guide Dog puppies or to find out more about sponsoring follow this link to Guide Dogs
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