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A year in the life of Puppy in Training, Yarrow

Hello everybody.

My name is Yarrow. I’m a Puppy in Training for Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind and I thought you might like to hear about me.

I was born on 25th September 2019 to Mam Lulu and Dad Negan. I have 8 siblings – Yorik, Yorkie, Yazzi, Yetti, Yani, Yager, Yeska and Yanson. The reason all of our names begin with “Y” is because Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind assign a litter of puppies a letter of the alphabet. At the start of each year, the first litter is A, second one B and so on. Prior to being born we were known as the “Y” litter.

In late November 2019, at 8 weeks old I was placed with my Puppy Raiser Anne Mulligan in Balbriggan. I will stay with Anne until I am 12/14 months old. Anne is responsible, with the support of her Puppy Raising Supervisor, to train me so that I grow into a confident and happy puppy.

In the future, if I qualify, I will help a visually impaired person as a Guide Dog or maybe an Assistance Dog to help a child with autism. My training with Anne involves going anywhere I will be required as a working dog. So, I go to shopping centres, travel on public transport such as buses, trains or trams. I also attend fundraising events for the Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. When I am out and about, I wear my hi-vis jacket to indicate that I am a Puppy in Training.

Of course, it’s not all work. I do have some down time as well. I enjoy free runs particularly in Ardgillan Park in Balbriggan with my Guide Dog and non-Guide Dog friends. The humans are great because they give us treats for being well behaved.

In the next few months, I will be leaving Anne and going to the Training Centre in Cork to continue my training. Initially, I will be in Early Training before hopefully progressing to Advanced Training. By the time I am fully trained I will be almost 2 years of age.

Thank you

Yarrow – woof!