An Aberdeenshire catering company has launched a campaign to teach two young dogs invaluable new tricks.
Entier, which is based in Westhill, is aiming to raise £20,000 to pay for the extensive and vital training of a pair of guide dog puppies.
After two years of training, the professional pooches will be matched to a blind person in the north-east to act as their eyes and provide constant companionship.
Peter Bruce, the company’s chief executive, said: “I am involved with Glencraft, which works with blind and disabled people, so I thought that dedicating our fundraiser to the training of two new guide dogs would be very fitting.
“Charities across the north-east are experiencing a lot of challenges in fundraising because of the current situation with the oil industry, so we wanted to do our part to support this cause.
“There are around 4,700 guide dogs trained across the UK every year to meet the demand, so we are only playing a small part, but it will make a huge difference.”
Mary Rasmussen, the chairwoman of the Aberdeen branch of Guide Dog Scotland, responded that the generous fundraising initiative by Entier would eventually change the lives of the dogs’ new masters once they are fully trained.
She explained that, as a blind woman, the assistance of a guide dog had vastly improved her ability to travel around and perform tasks that many people with sight took for granted.
Mrs Rasmussen, 73, said: “Peter is such an altruistic gentleman, and we can’t thank him enough for his support.
“The complete training of a guide dog, from the moment it is born at the breeding centre to the day it qualifies with a blind owner takes two years.
“The dogs have to be carefully matched with the right owner – they need to be specifically trained to walk at the right speed for their new owner, be calm around children if they have a family, and so on.
“My dog has been temporarily retired because he has got a slipped disk, and trying to get around with a cane in the meantime is so difficult.
“With a dog, you get so much confidence, and it helps socially because people speak to you on the bus or wherever you are because of your dog.
“They really are lifesavers.”
To find out more, visit www.guidedogs.org.uk
