A LABRADOR puppy is the first guide dog to arrive in the South West in 2025.

Labrador puppy June has received the accolade of being the very first guide dog puppy of 2025 to arrive in the South West, where she’ll live with her volunteer puppy raisers.

The eight-week-old puppy left the Guide Dogs’ National Centre in Leamington Spa last Thursday (January 9), along with her seven littermates who’ve gone to homes in other parts of the country.

June was born to her guide dog mother, Asha and father Sawley last November. She was looked after with her mum in a volunteer’s home before being taken to the National Centre for health checks, assessments, microchipping, and vaccinations.

She’ll now live with her puppy raisers near Exmouth, for around 12 months until she starts her training to be a guide dog.

After growing older, June will begin her comprehensive training, learning everything she needs to know to take on the important roll as a guide dog. All being well, June should receive all of her qualifications, and hopefully qualify as a working guide dog at around two years of age.

Puppy raisers provide a vital foundation for the puppy’s future role as a guide dog through training, socialisation and the introduction of new environments and experiences.

Leah Rogers, puppy raising operations manager for the South West region, said: “We’re excited to welcome puppy June to the South West, who’ll be followed by lots more puppies throughout the year. “

Leah added that the organisation is looking for local dog lovers who are prepared to help raise one of their future guide dog puppies - though it isn’t an easy task.

She continued: “To help care for these pups, we’re looking for more volunteers in many areas of the South West including East and North Devon, around Exeter, North Cornwall, South Somerset, and all of Dorset.

“Being a puppy raiser is hard work but it’s a very important and highly rewarding volunteer role. Without the support of our amazing volunteers, we simply wouldn’t be able to train the hundreds of life-changing guide dogs that we do each year to support people with sight loss across the UK.

“Ideally we need people who are mostly at home and can spend time with the puppy to develop and socialise them. This involves things like taking the puppy to different environments such as cafes, shops, on public transport, and other places a guide dog owner might go to.

“If you’d like to find out more about becoming a puppy raiser for Guide Dogs, please do get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.”  

To become a puppy raiser, you must be aged over 18, have suitable housing and be able to give a guide dog pup the love and attention they deserve. Applicants also need to have the ability to access training online and have an email address.   

To find out more or apply, visit www.guidedogs.org.uk/puppyraiser.