Here at Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, we've had our own dog supply and breeding programme since 1984. There are currently 30 brood bitches and 7 stud dogs and we produce around 140 puppies a year. The brood bitches will only come into kennels when they are in season or being mated, otherwise they spend their days at the homes of their volunteer breeding stock holders. At the moment, we have a number of brood bitches in with us at the Kennel Block. We have Milly, Renny, Iona (seen here on the left), Yasmin, Gracie, Annie (seen here on the right), Patsy, Teelin and Honey. They will stay in the Boarders Block and will get a good run every day, just like the rest of the boarders. We always have a soft spot for our brood bitches, making sure they have nice soft bedding and a cuddly teddy to snuggle. They deserve extra special treatment! After all, being a mum is hard work!  Imagine having to deal with up to eleven or twelve hungry and noisy puppies at a time!