Meet the Newest Member of UBC: Guide Dog Poppy!

Meet the Newest Member of UBC: Guide Dog Poppy!

In 2018, UBC spent a year fundraising for Guide Dogs UK, a nationwide charity for the blind and partially sighted.

During that time, UBC’s campaign successfully raised over £4,000 for the organisation thanks to generous donations from clients and visitors at UBC centres - well above the original target of £2,500.

In addition to fundraising events and puppy visits, UBC also sponsored and named a golden retriever puppy, who is destined to become a guide dog for blind and partially sighted people.

Meet ‘Poppy’

Little ‘Poppy’ was born on 20th February 2019. She is currently living with a volunteer Puppy Walker and is beginning the early stages of her training, learning all the skills that she will need as a future guide dog.

Poppy has been introduced to a lead and collar and is being taken on gentle walks in her handler’s local area, meeting people and getting used to the sights and sounds of the big wide world. She is also being house trained by her handler, which as any puppy owner knows is a game of patience and persistence!

Over the next 3 months Poppy will continue to go out on regular walks to socialise with people and animals, and will also visit busier areas to get used to the sights, sounds and scents of urban areas. She will learn how to negotiate the trials and tribulations of modern life such as visiting busy shopping centres and public transport stations, and using stairs and lifts.

Once Poppy reaches the grand old age of 10 months, depending on the progress made and her level of confidence and general maturity, she may be ready to go back to the Guide Dogs centre to begin more advanced training, to prepare her for life as a fully-fledged guide dog.

We look forward to following Poppy’s progress over the coming months. Keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook pages for regular updates!

Learn more about the important work of Guide Dogs UK, here.