Mother-daughter duo swaps Mother's Day lunch for puppy care: Litter of life-changing guide dog pups born

A mother and daughter from the West Midlands have cancelled Mother’s Day lunch this year, so they can spend the day caring for two litters of guide dog puppies born in their homes.

Jude Bingle, from Coventry and her mother, Brenda Hill, from Bidford-on-Avon, are both Breeding Dog Volunteers for sight loss charity Guide Dogs.

As part of the role, their families both have guide dog mums, Spring and Jasmin, living with them permanently.

For most of the times, these doggy mums are like any other pet dog, but during their time on the charity’s breeding programme, they have litters of pups who will hopefully become working guide dogs.

Spring and Jasmin, who are both Labradors, have coincidentally both had litters of nine puppies just a week apart in the run up to Mother’s Day, with Spring producing 6 girls and 3 boys, and Jasmin producing 6 boys and 3 girls.

Jude, who cares for guide dog mum Spring with support from her husband Olly, said: “Spring arrived with us in April 2023 and you couldn’t imagine a better dog.

“We’ve got three daughters, an 11-year-old and twins who are eight. She is fantastic with the children, gentle and knows exactly what they all like.

“She’s been great for my husband and I too and gives us a good reason to get outside and exercise.

“Spring had her first litter in December 2023, so we had her four pups with us over Christmas and it was quite an experience.

“It’s really special seeing the birth happen and seeing the puppies make so many advancements in those first few weeks.

“This time around, she had nine puppies who were born on 8 March.

“The staff at Guide Dogs have been fantastic during both births, talking us through any concerns we’ve had.

“The kids love having the puppies at home and seeing them develop and grow up.

“We couldn’t believe it when Spring and Jasmin, my parents’ guide dog mum, came into season just 10 days apart, meaning they’d have litters at a similar time.

“Normally we’d all be together on Mother’s Day, but it’s a slightly different plan this year – we’ll be sharing puppy photos instead!”

Brenda Hill, and her husband Tony, from Bidford-on-Avon, decided to sign up as Breeding Dog Volunteers after seeing the experience their daughter Jude had with Spring.

Brenda said: “It was Jude who started volunteering first, and we thought we’re going to sign up too.

“We’ve always had dogs and we thought that having a guide dog mum would be a nice thing to do in our retirement.

“Jasmin is a lovely dog and she is so good with our pet Newfoundland.

“Jasmin gave birth to her first litter on 16 March, and she seemed to know exactly what to do.

“It was quite an emotional experience and a fascinating thing to do. We feel really responsible for the pups and close to them too.

“Tony actually caught one puppy who was born in the garden. He was doing a lot of the writing up and I was telling Jasmin she was a good girl and that she was doing well - it felt like teamwork.

“Normally on Mother’s Day we’d all get together for a meal or go out, but this year will be quiet I think which is fine.

“I’m very interested to see how the puppies get on as they grow up and what they are able to do when they hopefully become guide dogs.”

Guide Dogs is currently urgently recruiting for more Breeding Dog Volunteers, who could give a permanent home to a guide dog mum.

The charity covers all the costs involved with having a guide dog mum living with you, such as food and vet costs, and when the dog retires from the breeding programme, they can enjoy their retirement with you too.

Guide dog puppies stay with volunteers for around eight weeks after they are born, before they move out to start the first stages of their guide dog training.

The charity’s National Centre is just outside Leamington Spa and you need to live within an hour’s drive of this site to be a Breeding Dog Volunteer.

To find out more about giving a permanent home to a guide dog mum, contact [email protected] or call 0800 781 1444.