We recently had the pleasure of hosting a networking meeting for Breeding Managers from various  Guide Dogs Schools in Europe with the view of sharing ideas and sharing breeding stock. Representatives from Switzerland, Spain, Finland, Holland, and France spent 2 days with us at the end of March. We caught up with our Breeding Co-Ordinator, Michael Edmonds, who has been with Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind for over 30 years, to find out how it went.

“The agenda for the 2 days included a tour of our facility, introducing some of our breeding stock to our visitors, an introduction to our training programmes and methodology as well as a presentation from a company we are working closely with called Trade Genetics. 

Health and temperament are the two important areas we constantly focus on. Achieving success in both of these areas is essential in producing a good working dog so much of our discussions centred on these topics.

In the past, we have worked closely with the Dutch Guide Dog School and have provided them with a stud dog in support of their Breeding Programme and they in turn provided us with two Broodbitches. It was good however to establish closer ties with some of the other schools.  We have identified some opportunities where we can lend each other a hand.  Many of the school in attendance are looking to obtain some of our bloodlines to enhance their own breeding programmes.

In particular, we will be working very closely with the French Guide Dogs School in the immediate future. We’ll be helping them to identify good Breeding Stock for purchase and providing them with a few puppies to be trained for their clients. The French Guide Dogs School is quite advanced in the area of technical aids and will in turn be offering us some technical equipment for use in our Independent Living Skills Training.  

Overall, the 2 day conference went very well.  Everyone enjoyed being able to share their experiences and we all agreed to continue working together in the future. We plan to make this meeting an annual gathering on our calendar.  We also received such positive feedback from our visitors. Some of their comments included praise for the calm temperament of our dogs in training; the efficiency of the Centre and the quality and positive attitude of our staff. Their complimentary feedback made me feel incredibly proud to be part of our such a great team of people doing such valuable work."