VetTech announces chosen charity for 2022

VetTech is proud to announce that we have chosen GUIDE DOGS as our charity for 2022.

We are offering the chance to sponsor a puppy for free, with our free prize draw. All you have to do is leave your email address and you could be in with a chance of sponsoring a puppy.

2022 Millie

About Me

Hi Everyone I’m Millie and I am about to go on a responsible and rewarding journey through my life.

I have been selected to be trained as a Guide Dog for Blind and Visibly Impaired people.

Once Trained I will meet my Owner who I will keep safe at all times.

I am a little bit nervous as I do not want to let my Owner down but I hope to pass with flying Colours

I am an adventurous pup who enjoys sniffing out tasty treats. By sponsoring me, you’ll be kept up to date throughout my journey to become a life-changing guide dog. You can sponsor me for yourself or on behalf of a loved one and print the photo and sponsorship certificate straight away!

I am a black Labrador
I love rolling around in the sunshine
I like carrying around my favourite toy

June 2022

Millie has been out and about!

Millie is making wonderful progress with her Puppy Raiser, Alison and she is growing fast!

Alison has been introducing Millie to lots of new environments to help build her confidence when out and about.

One skill that Alison has been focusing on helping Millie master is ‘self-settle’. Millie is learning to settle herself calmly in situations such as a café environment.

We hope you are as proud of Millie’s progress as we are!

July 2022

Millie has an update to share with you!

Since your Pupdate in June, Millie has continued to make great progress and we are very pleased to let you know that Millie has successfully completed her first bus journey!

She did so well and settled beautifully at Alison’s feet. Many dogs can find the motion of transport unsettling, but Millie took it all in her stride and made us very proud!

To start with, Alison took her just one stop on the bus and will gradually build this up over time, until Millie is comfortable travelling on the bus for longer periods.

This is a wonderful achievement; well done Millie and Alison!

September 2022

Millie Food Training

Since your last update, Millie has had her first season, during which time she was unable to visit busy environments. Puppy Raiser, Alison, took this opportunity to practise some skills with Millie around the home, including ‘food manners’.

This is an important skill for Millie to master and means that she will not be distracted by food.

Millie’s a natural! She was quite happy to sit in front of a tube of her favourite treats and focus on Alison.

Alison then rewarded her for her patience with a tasty nibble! Great work Alison and Millie!

Autumn is here!

Autumn is here, and I hope you are enjoying the beautiful change in seasons!

We’re so grateful that you are supporting Guide Dogs by sponsoring a puppy. Each day 250 more people join the two million already living with sight loss in the UK, and this number is set to double by 2050.

Over the last few months, your sponsored puppy has been growing and continuing to learn some of the necessary skills to become a life changer. We’re excited for you to find out how your sponsored pup is getting on. Click below to read your latest ePupdate, access your exclusive videos and photos, and join your sponsored pup’s exclusive Facebook group (if you haven’t already)!

Watch Millie’s latest video! link to Guide Dogs website

We can’t thank you enough for sponsoring a puppy. Through this kind and generous gesture, you’re enabling Guide Dogs to provide vital support to many people through our range of adult and children’s services, including our incredible guide dogs and buddy dogs. Thanks to you, we’re able to help make life-changing differences to people living with sight loss.

We hope you enjoy your latest ePupdate.

2023

Millie On Adventures

Millie has been an adventurous pup, visiting many new places with Puppy Raiser Alison.

She has had the excitement of going to a farm and meeting some farmyard animals. She was very inquisitive, especially of a pig and her lovely little piglets but she took it all in her stride.

Well done, Millie! Not being afraid of new things is a great quality to have in a future life changer.

She has also enjoyed many trips to the park and loves a good free run. However, she also loves a good cuddle and snuggling with her favourite soft toys!

February 2023

Thank you so much for supporting Guide Dogs by sponsoring a puppy. We can’t thank you enough for your continued commitment and support. At any one time, we’re responsible for over 8,000 puppies and dogs, and are one of the only organisations worldwide that breeds and nurtures them throughout their lifetime. Without you, we couldn’t train life-changing dogs like your sponsored pup – you truly are making a huge difference. Your sponsored puppy has been busy growing and learning vital skills that will help them become a future life changer.

Did you know that one in five people will live with significant sight loss in their lifetime? We’re committed to providing the support needed to ensure that everyone with sight loss can live their life exactly as they choose. By sponsoring a puppy, you’re helping to transform the lives of both adults and children with visual impairments. Thank you.

We hope you enjoy your latest ePupdate.

Hi, it’s Alison here, Millie’s Puppy Raiser.

Millie is such a confident pup! Since your last Pupdate, we’ve been continuing to build positive associations in new and busy places.

We’ve taken Millie to a large train station close to where we live. This can sometimes be challenging for a young pup as there are big crowds, regular announcements, and lots of barriers to walk through. However, Millie took it all in her stride! Millie absolutely loves people and always wants to say hello to them. I think this helped her on our visit to the station, as she now thinks of it as a place filled with potential friends which means she isn’t frightened at all.

New Horizons

Although we have a world-class breeding and training programme, not every pup is suited to becoming a guide dog or buddy dog. Occasionally, puppies need to be taken out of training for their best interests and the happiness of any potential future owner.

Since we sent you your last Pupdate, Millie progressed to Guide Dogs Training School but found the move tough and struggled to settle into the training environment. Millie became quite unhappy being surrounded by so many new people and began to find new experiences challenging; her confidence really took a hit. Although Millie picks up skills well, she is easily startled which has been disrupting her training as she struggles to bring her attention back to the task at hand.

It was clear that Millie was no longer enjoying her training. Because of this, we decided to take Millie out of the training programme and assess her for a career as a buddy dog (a companion dog for a child with a visual impairment). Millie’s trainer spent lots of time trying to help her relax and develop her confidence in new situations, but she didn’t see the progress she hoped for. During Millie’s assessment to become a buddy dog, it was agreed that the unpredictable nature of children and their constantly changing routines within the family unit wouldn’t be suitable for her. Given the circumstances, we felt it would be best to take Millie out of the training programme.

We are of course sad to share this news, but hope you understand that Guide Dogs must keep the welfare and safety of people with sight loss and the dogs we train at the heart of everything we do.

Millie is currently living with her wonderful fosterers and is in the process of being rehomed. We’re confident she will have her forever home soon.

Thank you for all your support of Millie. Whilst life as a guide dog wasn’t right for her, Millie was a fantastic advocate for Guide Dogs and helped to raise awareness by wearing her puppy coat whilst out with her Puppy Raiser, Alison.

Thank you again for all your support; we rely on donations to continue our life-changing work, which means without you, we couldn’t be Guide Dogs!

Hello, it’s Malcolm here, I have rehomed Millie!

Millie has become an important part of our family; after a short settling-in period, she’s enjoying life very much. We walk four or five miles every day with my pet dog George, the border collie. Every morning and evening, my partner Claire and her golden retriever Robin join us, and it’s heart warming to see our three dogs forming a fantastic pack! We all enjoy our long woodland walks and feel lucky to live close to local fields and canal towpaths to explore. Millie loves playing on the beach in all weather with her new friends. When we’re at home she likes to snooze in her bed with her favourite toys, and Claire finds inspiration from Millie for her writing and poetry.