A group of guide dog puppies are ready to be jet setters of the future, thanks to a special training visit to East Midlands Airport.
Eight local pups from sight loss charity Guide Dogs, who are all under a year old, visited the airport on Wednesday 26 March.
They explored the departures and arrivals areas and listened to terminal announcements.
Each pup was accompanied by their volunteer Puppy Raiser, who looks after them until they are just over a year old, before they move to a Guide Dogs’ centre to start their formal training.
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.
Jennie Sutton, local Puppy Development Advisor for Guide Dogs, said: “It’s really important that our pups are exposed to different sights and sounds, to help them grow up to become confident guide dogs.
“To support this, we try to organise days out for them, similar to school trips, where they can experience new places and learn how to behave well in these settings.
“Visiting East Midlands Airport has provided a great opportunity for our pups to get used to a busy, noisy place.
“Hopefully they will be well prepared for any airport travel they may do when they become working guide dogs in the future.
“A big thank you to everyone at East Midlands Airport for supporting this training day and for being so accommodating.”
East Midlands Airport’s Director of Customer Services and Planning, Mike Grimes, said: “We were absolutely delighted to welcome the puppies and their raisers to the airport so they could get accustomed to the sights and sounds at East Midlands Airport.
“We’re really proud to provide one of the UK’s best assisted travel services that gives extra, personalised support to anyone who needs it to get from kerbside to airside.
“Ensuring that passengers with sight loss have guide dogs familiar with the airport environment is a natural extension of our approach to making everyone’s airport experience as effortless as possible.”
Guide Dogs is currently recruiting for more volunteer Puppy Raisers across the Midlands.
Volunteers must be aged over 18 and have suitable housing. Caring for a puppy is a full-time commitment and you must be able to give a guide dog pup the love and attention they deserve.
To find out more about becoming a Puppy Raiser in The Midlands, contact volattractcentral@guidedogs.org.uk or call 0800 781 1444.
