Welcome to Paw Prints!

The L litter, born the 15th of November 2024, are Leo, Layne, Leco, Lulu and Lucas. Mum is Cleo and Dad is Tatum. Many thanks to Loreli Watson and Lisa Wall who helped support this beautiful litter.

The M Litter, born on the 17th of December, are Mattie, Murphy, Miller, Messi, Miso, Mitch, Milo, Moose, Marcus, Margo and Moana. Mum is Tanvi and Dad is Iddo. Many thanks to Breeding Dog Volunteer Jane Murphy.

The N Litter, born on the 20th of December 2024, are Nutella, Nacho, Nectar, Nova, Navy, Nugget and Nibbles. Mum is Ivory and Dad is Verdell.

The New Year saw the arrival of the O Litter who were born on 16th of January. They are Opal, Ophelia, Orla, Oti, Ojo, Obair, Odell, Otto, Oslo, Otis and Orlando. Mum is Vitara and Dad is Iddo. Many thanks to Breeding Dog Volunteer Sarah Hathaway.

Camille gave birth to the P Litter on 17th February. Her beautiful pups are Pixie, Parker, Puca, Polly, Paw-Dí and Peil. Dad is Warner. Many thanks to Sam Healy who has helped to support Camille and her pups.

We are always blown away and filled with gratitude when any of our clients decide to fundraise to support those coming after them. Here are just a sample of the recent and upcoming events and challenges taking place....

We have many brave volunteers taking on tough challenges to support our work. The annual Mizen2Malin Cycle takes to the saddle from Saturday 17 May with Eamonn Linnane and his band of cyclists taking on this epic challenge including Geraldine Looney, Jennifer Doherty and Karen Healy, with Cathal Joyce providing us with daily updates. Do keep an eye on our social media. You can donate to the challenge here.

Guide Dog Owner Anne Kelliher will be 77 years old this year and to celebrate she set herself a challenge to do 7 tandem bike rides, over 7 months raising €7,000. Anne (and her sighted cycling partners) will be taking on her challenges in Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Limerick, Tipperary, and Westmeath, all to raise money for us, Fighting Blindness, Vision Sport Ireland, and Cycling For All Cork & Kerry. Help Anne on her journey by supporting, donating, and cheering her on here.

Catherine Joyce from Dunboyne College of Further Education in Meath organised the second annual Ulreeka’s Wagathon on April 5th to celebrate the huge impact Community Dog Ulreeka has had on the students.

Paul Doyle from Kildare organised a coffee morning last month as part of his personal development with his day service Resilience. Paul was supported for many years by Assistance Dog Sally, RIP. Paul's mum Adrienne has puppy raised ten pups and is currently raising Galaxie.

Guide Dog owner Vinny Stack and his friend Lisa Kelly organised a Darts Extravaganza in Tallaght, Dublin on March 1st, where they had former pro darts players Andy the Hammer Hamilton and Tony Silver Back O’Shea playing against the brave members of the public. Vinny also played against the pro’s who tried out hitting the dart board blindfolded to make it a more fairer competition. They definitely scored a bullseye raising €4,770!

On 1 June Alanna Henry will take on the Dublin Women's Mini Marathon. In the Dublin Marathon we will have Puppy Raisers Jenna and Morgan Pierce, also Joe Gorman who is running in memory of his family's Assistance Dog Abbie, and Tony McNally who witnessed the positive impact of Assistance Dog Beech on his brother. Puppy Raiser Anthony Church is doing the London Marathon.

Our Thank You event in the West was a lovely, relaxed get together on March 23rd giving us an opportunity to show our appreciation for the support of our clients and volunteers in the region. There was a huge canine representative with Guide Dogs, Assistance Dogs, Broods and retired working dogs. Over a buffet lunch everyone had the chance to mingle and meet familiar and new faces and we gathered some great feedback and ideas. We're looking forward to developing those suggestions in the coming months.

Volunteers and Ambassador Dogs Charlie, Comet and Marina from our Clare Branch were delighted to accept a cheque for €2,153 from the Cliffs of Moher Experience.

Huge thanks to Ava Bourke, Lucy Bourke, Elsie Higgins, Elaine Wilson-Gill, Ruth McNally and Sarah McNally who raised €70 from Wren Day 2024 in Westport in Mayo.

Global mentor and life coach, Val Quinn, has curated a powerful collection of real-life stories from inspirational people around the world who have transformed their lives with courage, determination and resilience. Entitled Create Your Best Life, the book dives into the authentic and compelling life stories of individuals such as Dragon’s Den star Norah Casey, former Irish international rugby player Jamie Heaslip and many more. Val is determined that all net proceeds will be donated to fund the breeding, training and care of one Guide or Assistance Dog i.e. €53,000. Incredibly, Val has already raised over €24,000! Visit our online shop here to get your copy.

Author Robert O'Leary has just published a stunning collection of photos showcasing the rich diversity of Dublin's River Dodder. With foreword by biologist Éanna Ní Lamhna, the books includes over 50 colour photos of birds, mammals and insects. All royalties from the sale of this book go directly to Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. As a former Puppy Raiser Robert says; "I know that every cent raised from this book will pay rich dividends for years to come. I know because I have seen it first hand." You can purchase a copy of the book here.