WATCH: Pup in training to be guiding star

Monday 17 September 2018

How does a golden pup become a bone-afide guide dog? Express met a rising 'star' to find out.

Star, a Labrador-Golden Retriever cross, who was named by schoolchildren in Jersey, is set to live up to her name when she heads off to guide dog school when she's a bit older.

But for now, the puppy, who was sponsored by law firm Le Gallais and Luce after they raised £8,000 for the Jersey Branch of the Guide Dogs for the Blind, has now been placed with a puppy walking couple in the island. 

Yvonne Pascoe, who is Star’s puppy walker until she is old enough to enrol in training in the UK, is one of only two walkers in Jersey and has been socialising these career dogs since 2016.

Video: Star the puppy, who will enrol in guide dog school when she is old enough, showing off some of her training for the camera.

Yvonne applied to be a puppy walker in 2016 after her dogs died and she said that the role is incredibly rewarding. She told Express: “We appreciate that we do not own the pups and we are their temporary guardians. Our goal is to give the pups the very best start we can before they are old enough to go to school.”

Star has been with Yvonne and her husband, Richard, since she was just seven weeks old and will stay in their care until she’s around 14 months - old enough to start training.

Yvonne, who likened herself to a 'dog foster parent', said that the main role of a puppy walker alongside house training is to introduce the dog to everyday aspects of the world around them so that when they’re on the job, they won’t be phased by loud noises or crowded places.

Pictured: Promising puppy Star turns on the charm with a cheeky wink.

Yvonne told Express: “As puppy walkers, we socialise the pups as best we can into the everyday environment that they may eventually be guiding and working in.

“In the very early stages of training we take time watching a lot of situations in the local environment at a distance to start off so the pup isn’t overwhelmed. Every experience has to be a happy one for the pup so their needs are always met first.”

She continued: “As the pups get older and more confident, we introduce them to as many human situation as we can. For example, Star will go into work with my other half for an hour or two to sit under his desk and stay quiet. She gets to visit the Doctor’s surgery, dentist, hairdresser’s and anything that we as humans may do in our everyday living.” 

Pictured: Star was sponsored by a donation from local law firm, Le Gallais & Luce and is making great progress in her puppy training.

According to her walker, Star is “a very calm, adaptable puppy [who] fits into any situation she is put in”, but Yvonne said that it can sometimes be hard to ensure that Star is being brought up as a career dog and not a domestic pet. She continued: “Star’s biggest problem is she loves meeting people and tends to respond very quickly to people wanting to say hello to her.

“As puppy walkers you soon get used to saying, ‘Please don’t touch the puppy’, because it’s a major distraction for her. So many people see a cute puppy and automatically go to stroke them, but the reality is the pup has a career and is not a domestic pet."

Commenting on how it feels when the dogs are old enough to start their training, Yvonne added: “It hurts so much when they go and you never stop caring about them, but our moment of sadness is replaced with the joy that they are someone’s forever guide and companion, bringing them happiness.

"To be part of that journey is priceless.”