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Guide Dogs Australia releases adorable sneak peak footage of its first litter of 2024
Guide Dogs Australia has welcomed the first litter of 2024 and is offering a sneak peak of the adorable puppies!
Labrador Norma gave birth on January 7th to a litter of three gorgeous black puppies – one female and two male pups. Now just three weeks old the triplet puppies are opening their eyes and starting to explore.
In each Guide Dog litter all the puppy’s names begin with the same letter, and these three pups from the C litter are no exception! The two male pups have been named Cosmo and Chico, and their sister is called Clara.
Guide Dogs Whelping Adviser Leah Willet said, “Welcoming a new litter into the world never ever gets old here at Guide Dogs, but there is something extra special about the first litter of the year – it is the start of another beautiful year ahead of working with these amazing dogs to help them take on a life changing role in our community.”
“Norma is an absolute natural at looking after her three little pups and has been really attentive. The pups are just three weeks old but starting to explore the sights, sounds and smells of the world around them,” Leah said.
After spending the six weeks being looked after by our wonderful volunteer whelping homes with their mum, Cosmo, Chico and Clare will embark on their two-year raising and training journey to becoming a life changing Guide Dog. First, they will spend a year in the homes of volunteer Puppy Raisers before heading to the Guide Dogs Centre for formal training.
“Our volunteer Whelpers and Puppy Raisers play such a crucial role a Guide Dog’s journey – it is a vital role that helps the puppies develop the skills they will need to one day become a life-changing Guide Dog for someone with low vision or blindness,” Leah said.
“Each of these pups needs a loving and responsible home to help love and care for them over the next 12 months. The start of a new year is the perfect time to try something new and give back so if you’ve ever thought about raising a puppy for Guide Dogs, now is the perfect time,” Leah concluded.
With even more puppies due to be born in the coming days, Guide Dogs is urgently needing Puppy Raising volunteers across Australia who are willing to open their heart and home to a little puppy. All training, veterinary costs, and equipment is provided by Guide Dogs.
As well as this, Guide Dogs is also looking for warm, loving homes for specially selected breeding dogs like Norma to live in while they help bring the next generation of Guide Dog puppies into the world.
It takes over two years and costs $50,000 to breed, raise and train each life changing Guide Dog and if Home Whelping and Puppy Raising isn’t for you there are so many ways people can get involved through other volunteering roles and fundraising initiatives.
To find out more, visit https://guidedogs.com.au/get-involved/become-a-volunteer/raise-a-puppy/
