Yancy has been with us for almost two weeks now and is settling in well…
Busy, busy, busy…it’s been 13 years since we last had a puppy in the family and it’s easy to forget that they can be quite hard work. That said, our canine toddler is a delight though she has her moments of mischief throughout the average day!
At the start of the week it was off to the vet to get her final inoculation. A novel experience for me was a visit to a vet which didn’t cost me a fortune Guide Dogs pay all the vet’s bills. Another novel experience was taking a dog to the vet who wasn’t a big feartie since Bonnie our retriever used to try and climb on to my lap in the waiting room. Yancy was unfazed…nothing seems to trouble her, which is great.
Then on Wednesday it was a trip to Broughty Ferry where local puppy walkers gathered for their monthly get-together. I think there must have been 12 pups under six months. It was all great fun and the time passed quickly in a flurry of tussles, teeth, play-fighting and tangled leads. We also did some training under puppy co-ordinator Wendy’s patient guidance, walking round the other puppies and trying to avoid distraction from the job in hand/paw.
Wendy then came along to our house in the afternoon to see how we’re all getting on — and we’re all doing fine, thankfully. We were interested to hear there is a real shortage of puppy walkers in the area they need volunteers, people!
Then at night (very busy day), Yancy joined the audience at the Carnoustie Musical Society show along at the Comrie Hall. She was as good as gold, sleeping under Terry’s chair no reflection on the show! Obviously, she enjoyed pats and chats with the other showgoers after the performance, but once again she was unfazed by the experience. Top marks, Yancy!
Our main focus at the moment is to make sure she experiences as many new things as we can arrange. We’re always mindful of where she might go with a blind owner and if she’s ‘covered all the bases’ with us, she’ll be ready for whatever life throws at her as a guide dog. Onwards and upwards…
For more information on Guide Dogs for the Blind and on puppy walking, visit guide dogs.org.uk