Over the coming months many local residents will notice an increase in the number of Labrador dogs around the town because we now have a Guide Dogs fundraising branch Wilmslow and Alderley Edge.
Brian Etchells, treasurer of the new branch, explained "The Guide Dog Association runs totally on voluntary contributions from the public and an army of volunteers. Myself and another lady are both puppy walkers for Guide Dog's and saw the opportunity to raise more funds in this area.
"I will be putting lots of collection boxes around both Alderley Edge and Wilmslow and we will be holding collections at various venues throughout the area, about once a month. It costs a lot of money to feed and train the dogs, then there's the vet's bills. In fact, by the time they retire each guide dog will have cost about £48,000."
A collection outside Sainsbury's in Wilmslow last month raised over £1000 for the charity.
The local fundraising branch do lots of talks to interested parties; schools, cubs, scouts, church groups etc and they are also looking for volunteer puppy walkers. Puppy walking is a crucial part of Guide Dogs' work. Although done on a voluntary basis, it will take a lot of time, commitment and love but the end result is a very special animal indeed.
Puppy walkers play a vital role in the early socialisation and education of guide dogs. At about six weeks of age, puppies start their early training, remaining with the volunteers until they are around one year old, at which point they are transferred to a training centre to begin their specialised training.
The aim of puppy walking is to produce a puppy that is socially well behaved, friendly and responsive to the handler. It is also important that the puppy is at ease in all environments, including town conditions, is relaxed and confident when using all types of transport and learns an acceptable standard of behaviour on the lead.
For more information visit The Guide Dogs website or view the video above for an overview of how you can help Guide Dogs to keep transforming lives. The Guide Dogs Volunteer Office can be contacted on 0845 3717771.
