Scottish winners help the guide dogs of the future

A group of National Lottery winners from across Scotland were taken for walkies by the guide dogs of the future at the Guide Dogs Forfar Training School. The winners – Barry and Roberta Little, John Bowman, Libby Elliot, Alison and John Doherty, Sheila and Duncan Davidson, and John Edmond – worked with the trainee dogs in the centre’s enclosures and helped out with the day-to-day tasks involved in running the school.

Libby Elliot, who won a Lotto jackpot of £2.2 million in August 2012, helped out on the day and was impressed by the charity’s efforts. “The work that Guide Dogs Scotland do is truly amazing. Having sponsored guide dogs in the past, it was fantastic to see first-hand what goes into getting the puppies ready for their working life.

“I had no idea how intensive the training is and the work that the staff put in, day in and day out, while still providing a fun and caring home. So many people with sight loss need support just to leave the house so you can see how the charity really does change lives. It was an incredible day – one that I will never forget.”

Guide Dogs Scotland relies solely on public donations so to support the charity, the winners turned up with gifts for the dogs, including special training toys and an aluminium frame dog bed which was needed by the centre.

Charlotte Finch, Head of the Guide Dogs Forfar Training School, explained the impact the dogs have on their new owners’ lives. “There are around 180,000 people with sight loss living in the UK who find it difficult to leave home on their own, and we want to change that.

“To support just one guide dog over their lifetime costs almost £55,000 and we rely on donations. It’s only thanks to public support that we can continue our work, ensuring that people with sight loss are never left out of life.

“We were delighted to welcome the group to our training school and we were very grateful for their kind donations of toys and other items for our hard-working guide dogs in training.”

Guide Dogs has four training schools across the UK that collectively train over 1,000 new guide dogs every year. There are around 530 guide dogs in Scotland who change the lives of people with sight loss, allowing them to get out and about safely and with confidence.