Here you can find updates about the BAMGOC sponsored Guide Dogs. These dogs were sponsored with the funds raised by Liz and Martin’s Bluebell Runs. Well done Liz and Martin for your work in raising the money to provide such a lovely gift to those who have lost their sight. Murphy is an golden retriever cross. Murphy’s mum, Lacey, is a golden retriever cross and dad, Trigger, is a golden retriever. Lily is a German shepherd pup. Lily’s mum, Jolly, and dad, Gene, are both German shepherds. Now that they have been vaccinated and assessed, they have been placed with their Puppy Raisers who will look after them for a year and help them to explore the sights, sounds and smells of the world. It’s important that these pups have lots of different experiences, so they aren't nervous or fearful of new situations. They will learn basic commands like ‘sit’, ‘down’, ‘stay’ and ‘come’, as well as other skills like to walk ahead on the lead – not to ‘heel’. Next they will be off to guide dog training school where they will learn everything they need to know to guide a person with sight loss. With over 180,000 people with sight loss in the UK rarely leaving home alone, the skills these pups learn are vital. Since the original sponsorship, Lola has taken the place of Murphy. We hope to keep you updated on these pups as they progress. SCROLL DOWN FOR PUPDATES

Pupdates

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PUPDATES

Murphy and Lily - June 2021

Update from Shirley and David, Murphy’s Puppy Raisers. Murphy is the eighth puppy we have puppy raised. Six of our previous pups are now fully trained! Casper, our most recent dog before Murphy, had to be taken out of the training programme due to health issues so we rehomed him. Casper is a great influence for Murphy. Puppy raising has given us a lot of pleasure. Although it can be hard work at times it has so many benefits. One of the best things about being puppy raisers is that it enhances your social life; we’ve made so many new friends. Everybody talks to you when you’re out and about, it’s lovely. Murphy is a very calm pup - he’s a lot calmer than previous puppies we’ve had! Murphy is extremely enthusiastic when working or going out on a free run - although he does have a cheeky side to him, which is typical for retrievers! One lovely aspect about Murphy is that he is very gentle. When we’re walking and we stop to talk to people, he’ll very patiently lay down and wait until we’re ready to start walking again. Murphy is a laid-back pup When Murphy first came to us, he took around two weeks to settle fully, which is very quick for young pups. He sleeps through the night and seems to have commpletely settled into the routine. In addition to our rehomed dog Casper, we also have a pet dog called Harvey. Harvey is great with the puppies and lets Murphy cuddle up to him. Harvey is a very relaxed dog and is a sense of calm in the house, acting as a mentor for young pups. One of Murphy’s favourite things to do when he’s tired is chew on the side of his bed until he falls asleep. It’s very cute to watch! Murphy is a very sociable pup. We try to meet up with other people with dogs when we can, and Murphy loves to free run with them. Murphy’s training Every two weeks we attend a Zoom puppy class with Murphy. He is doing very well and seems to pick things up very quickly. He’s very good if there’s food involved! He’ll ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ and ‘lie down’ very well. Recently we’ve been working on food manners with Murphy. This means that he’s learning to not pick treats off the floor until he’s told to, which is important as there can be food on the floor when out and about. Murphy picks up skills quickly and we have no doubt he’ll master everything he attempts. New sights and smells Despite lockdown restrictions earlier this year we’ve been able to experience lots of new things with Murphy. For example, we were lucky enough to take him on an empty bus that was parked at the bus terminal. This let him investigate what a bus looks like. We’ve taken Murphy in a lift, and also up and down some stairs near a canal. The canal has some geese - although Murphy can get a bit distracted when he sees them, he doesn’t pull on the lead at all and just takes an interest in watching them. It’s important for him to get used to not getting distracted by animals. See how much Murphy has grown We have been taking pictures and videos of Murphy since he was born so you can see just how much he’s changed. To watch the video please visit guidedogs.org.uk/puppy-murphy

Update from Carole, Lily’s Puppy Raiser. Lily is the 12th dog I’ve puppy raised, and it has been a joy so far. I absolutely love being a Puppy Raiser as each stage gives you satisfaction. It can be hard work but the end reward of seeing a qualified guide dog with their owner makes it all worth it. When you get the call to hear that a dog you looked after has qualified it feels like being on cloud nine and makes you so proud. Lily is a quick learner; she is the first German shepherd I’ve had and it was interesting to see her differences compared to previous pups I’ve raised. Lily is a very loving dog and always wantedf me beside her at the start, so she took a bit longer to settle at night. Through some trial and error in her sleeping arrangments, we soon found out that she felt a lot more comfortable when sleeping in her crate. She’s been as good as gold ever since. Lily loves a cuddle One word I can describe Lily as is lovable. She has a gorgeous personality and adores to be cuddled. We have a retired guide dog called Ursi who is brillian with Lily, their favourite things to do together are play and sleep. It’s so lovely to see them cuddled up together in bed,. Lily can have her excitable moments that all young puppies have, but she will settle down really easily and will happily go to her bed when asked. Lily’s playful nature Lily is a fan of any toy that makes a noise. We’ve even had to hide one once! Her favourite is a long green snake that makes a bit of a weird sound. She’ll run around with it in her mouth for ages, squeaking away. She also has a squeaky toy sloth which she shakes like crazy. Her playful nature is so fun to watch and really brings positivity to the house. Lily’s training Lily is getting on quite well with her basic obedience training. She ‘sits’ and ‘waits’ well. Her ‘downs’ still need a bit more work, however younger pups tend to need to work on this more. Currently I am getting her to stay down while walking away. I have no doubt she’ll continue to thrive with her training. Lily is great while walking on the lead. She can get a bit excited when seeing other dogs but this is to be expected. When I’m walking her and stop to talk to someone, Lily is fantastic - she will sit down straight away and be very patient. Lots of people have stopped me to say how well behaved she is! I’ve also been training Lily to sit in the back of the car. Like many pups, Lily can be nervous when travelling in cars. To combat this, I’ve put some of Lily’s kibble in the back of the car to help her associate car rides with a positibe experience. She’s doing a lot better and is gaining confidence each day. Despite lockdown, Lily has experienced lots of useful things that have helped her in her training. For example, the other day while on a lead walk, Lily saw her first lawn mower. This was great as it’s useful for young puppies to get comfortable with experiencing these types of noises. One of the more unique things Lily has seen is a bouncy castle in a neighbour’s garden! Lily stopped and I let her investigate it. She was wary but coped very well. See how much Lily has grown We have been taking pictures and videos of Lily since she was born so you can see just how much she’s changed. To watch the video please visit guidedogs.org.uk/puppy-lily

Murphy and Lily - October 2021 - click the pics for pupdates

Murphy and Lily - February 2022 - click the pics for pupdates

Lily

Murphy

Murphy and Lily - June 2022 - click the pics for pupdates

August 2022

As mentioned in Murphy’s Pupdate in June 2022, Murphy found the move to training school difficult. He developed high levels of anxiety and struggled with skills which he’d previously mastered. While assessing Murphy for a career as a buddy dog, his trainer spent lots of time trying to help him overcome these issues but she didn’t see the progress she was hoping for. Although there is a world-class breeding and training programme, not every pup will be suited to becoming a guide dog or a buddy dog. Occasionally, puppies need to be taken out of taining for their own best interests and, given the circumstances, it was felt it would be best to take Murphy out of the training programme. As with all dogs taken out of training, Murphy became part of the rehoming programme and this is to let you know that he’s been rehomed in the countryside with a lovely gentleman called Peter who has known him since he was a tiny pup. He has settled in really well and, as soon as he arrived, he knew exactly where he was and went straight to the toy drawer and started taking out all the toys - he seemed to instantly feel at home. Our Sponsor a Puppy journey will continue with another pup called Lola. Lola is a beautiful pup at a similar stage as Murphy was in his training. She has started at Guide Dogs Training School and is learning the necessary skills to become a life changer.