Olympic rowers enjoy cuddles with first litter of guide dog puppies born in 2025, at Guide Dogs National Centre
A group of Olympic rowers have enjoyed meeting a litter of life-changing guide dog puppies at the Guide Dogs National Centre just outside Leamington Spa.
Esme Booth, Sam Redgrave and Rebecca Shorten, three of the Great Britain women’s four rowing team, who won a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, were invited to visit the charity’s centre earlier this month.
They met the first litter of guide dog puppies to be born in 2025, who are now eight weeks’ old and about to embark on the first stages of their training with their volunteer Puppy Raisers.
Esme Booth, who is from Stratford-upon-Avon, said:
“When I was growing up, my family used to foster trainee guide dogs, so I’ve always had a connection with the charity.
“It was fantastic to visit the Guide Dogs National Centre and learn about the charity’s breeding programme.
“Meeting the first litter of pups born this year was great fun – they were all very inquisitive and enjoyed playing with us and looking at our medals.
“It’s brilliant to think that by the next Summer Olympics, the puppies we met could be qualified guide dogs, supporting people with vision impairments.”
Kelly Newton, Operations Manager at Guide Dogs, said:
“During their short stay at our National Centre, it’s important that are puppies are socialised, to help prepare them for their future guide dog training.
“Our pups had a great time meeting Esme, Sam and Rebecca, and getting to explore their medals was a great experience for them.”
Last year, the average Guide Dogs’ litter size was 7.4.
The charity is currently looking for more permanent homes for its guide dog mums.
For most of the time, guide dog mums are like any other pet dog, but during their time on the charity’s breeding programme, they will have litters of pups who are born in volunteers’ homes.
You can then enjoy the company of these adorable pups for around eight weeks, before they move out to start the first stages of their guide dog training.
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.
If you could give a forever home to a guide dog mum in 2025, email [email protected] or call 0345 143 0191.