Guide dog puppies visit Bury St Edmunds fire station as part of socialisation training
A group of guide dog puppies visited a town fire station as part of their socialisation training.
Accompanied by their volunteer Puppy Raisers at Bury St Edmunds fire station on March 10, trainees Karter, Kala, Kate, Maddie, Charlie, Burton and Buffy met local firefighters and were shown the engines, including their lights, sirens and shutters.
They also practised using the stairs and lifts inside the station.
The trainees stay with their Puppy Raisers until they are just over a year old, which provides them with vital foundations for their future roles, including being taught basic commands and helping them get used to different environments.
Fay McAllister, puppy development advisor for the area for charity Guide Dogs, said: “We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone at Bury fire station for supporting with this important training visit.
“As our pups grow and develop, it’s really important that they are exposed to different sights and sounds, to help them grow up to become confident guide dogs.
“Our trip to Bury fire station provided a great opportunity for our pups to explore a sensory environment, in a controlled way, preparing them for any potential encounters with the emergency services during their working life.”
After their year with their Puppy Raisers, the trainees move to a Guide Dogs’ centre to start their formal training.
The organisation is currently recruiting more raisers across Suffolk and Norfolk.
Adrian Beckwith, watch manager in Mildenhall, said: “As a watch we were keen to have the opportunity to interact and assist with the guide dogs in training. It was fascinating to see how independent the dogs could be and also gave us a great insight into the training programme.
“We found it a rewarding experience and look forward to an opportunity to be involved again in the future.”
Adrian added Guide Dogs provide a much needed service, and the fire crews were pleased to play a part in their training.
