VTN Editor Fosters Guide Dog Puppy Bunker

Many visually impaired people rely on their guide dogs to be their eyes, as well as daily companions. It takes approximately 2 years to train a guide dog before being able to match them up to their new home. A volunteer family is needed for the first year of the puppy's life before it enters formal training at a specialist centre.

Vale Talking News has a wonderful group of volunteers who do a fantastic job making sure our recordings are sent out regularly to listeners. Editor Judi Brazkiewicz also has another volunteer role. She is a short term foster Mum providing care for guide dog puppies.

Judi recently brought her guide dog puppy Bunker, who behaved perfectly, to the studio for a recording session. Here's what Judi had to say about her charge.

"Bunker is the third guide dog puppy I have had to stay on short term foster while full time fosterers have holidays. He is German Shepherd X Golden Retriever and was 22 weeks old when he was with me. He definitely shows traits of both the breeds being very clever and precise when concentrating on training tasks then a complete goofball when doing his own thing. One of his favourite activities was to run full pelt down the garden, straight into a forward roll then slide along the grass. It never stopped being funny!"