With their adorable little muzzles and tiny paws, this perfect pack of six girls and four boys arrived last week, in Birmingham.
The canine couple behind them are Rebecca, a three year old golden retriever who’s just embraced motherhood for the second time, and the dapper first-time dad Danny, a two year old Labrador.
At just one week old, these tiny pups don’t have names yet. Overseeing the delightful bunch is Guide Dogs breeding dog volunteer Sue Davy, who praised Rebecca for parenting skills.
She said: “She absolutely dotes upon her puppies and has taken everything in her stride,” also gushing, “I’m really excited to see these puppies grow and develop their individual personalities over the next few weeks.”
Neither of these proud puppy parents have ever put on a guide dog harness. But Guide Dog explains that top dogs like golden girl Rebecca and Danny are specially selected to breed smart, confident, and healthy guide dog pups.
Next month, these adorable puppies will head to the Guide Dogs National Centre in Leamington Spa for a series of vaccinations. From there, they’ll be placed with one of the charity’s numerous volunteer Puppy Raisers, who will care for them until they reach 12-14 months old, at which point they’ll begin their formal guide dog training.
Janine Dixon, Guide Dogs’ breeding and welfare lead, commented: “Even though they haven’t yet opened their eyes, Rebecca’s puppies are at the very start of a long journey to becoming life-changing guide dogs of the future.
“They will be raised and trained with all the love and support they need to give them the best chance to qualify as a trusted partner to a blind or visually impaired person.
“Guide Dogs is aiming to breed 1,200 puppies in 2025, and it all starts here.”