Guide dog puppies enjoy festive ‘school trip’ to Castle Howard

A group of guide dog puppies from across Yorkshire have been exploring Alice’s Christmas Wonderland as part of a ‘school trip’ to Castle Howard ahead of the festive season.

The puppies, each with a festive name or a special connection to Christmas, are at various stages of their training with their Puppy Raisers who volunteer for sight loss charity Guide Dogs. Among them are Star and Teddy, joined by Golden Retriever-Labrador cross Bobby, born on Christmas Day, and Golden Retriever Dasher, aptly named as part of a litter inspired by Santa’s reindeer.

The puppies were invited to Castle Howard to help support their socialisation training, and enjoyed walking through the House’s much-loved Christmas display, which this year follows an Alice’s Christmas Wonderland theme.

Together they followed the White Rabbit through Castle Howard’s grand halls and rooms with each twist and turn revealing different surprises, giving the puppies new and exciting experiences that will set them up to be resilient and confident future guide dogs.

Each pup was accompanied by their volunteer Puppy Raiser, who looks after them until they are around 14 months old, before they move to a local Guide Dogs’ centre to start their formal training and then are hopefully partnered with someone with sight loss.

Volunteer Puppy Raisers for the charity provide puppies with vital foundations for their future role, teaching them basic commands and helping them get used to different environments.

Lucy Cooper, local Puppy Development Advisor for Guide Dogs, said:

“Exposing our puppies to a variety of sights and sounds is a vital part of their early guide dog training. To support this, we organise special outings or ‘school trips’ to environments they might not encounter every day.

“Christmas is a magical and exciting season, but the changes in routine and surroundings can be overwhelming for puppies. That’s why this is a perfect opportunity for our pups to experience the vibrancy of the festive season in a setting like this.

“We’re incredibly grateful to Castle Howard for providing such a wonderful sensory experience for our puppies. It’s a fantastic way to help them grow into confident, well-rounded future guide dogs who will change the lives of people living with sight loss.”

Abbi Ollive, Visitor Attraction Director at Castle Howard, said:

“We have thoroughly enjoyed hosting the guide dog puppies, and hope Alice’s Christmas Wonderland has had a positive impact on their training.

“Assistance dogs are welcome in the House, Gardens, shops and cafes at Castle Howard, and it has been valuable to hear the Guide Dogs team’s feedback, which will help us continue to learn and improve our experience for visually impaired visitors in the future.

“Everyone is welcome at Castle Howard, and our broader access initiatives in recent years include the introduction of sensory touch boxes, British Sign Language-interpreted tours and Calm Sessions.”

Guide Dogs currently needs more volunteer Puppy Raisers across Yorkshire. The charity provides support and training for its volunteers and cover all the essential costs involved with caring for a puppy, such as food and vet bills.

To find out more about Puppy Raising for Guide Dogs, visit guidedogs.org.uk/volunteering
To find out more about Castle Howard’s Christmas events and access information, visit castlehoward.co.uk