Cuteness alert! Donegal has welcomed its second-ever litter of puppies through the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind breeding programme.
Beautiful Labrador Bella has given birth to a healthy litter of six in Kilcar.
Bella has been doing a pawsome job with her first litter. The three-week-old pups – four males and two females – have been named Ivy, Iris, Iain, Ice, Iarla, and Inish, continuing the charity’s alphabetical naming tradition, with Inish being a special nod to Donegal.
Keeping a watchful eye (and her hands full!) is volunteer Christine Byrne.
Bella and her six puppies
This is the second brood Christine has had born in her home.
Three years ago, Poppie, also a golden lab, made history when she delivered Donegal’s first guide dog litter – the “H” litter of ten. Eight of Poppie’s pups progressed to become working dogs – seven guide dogs and one assistance dog, and the other two were rehomed as pets.
Christine’s role is to look after the mother dogs throughout pregnancy and then help care for the puppies in their first eight weeks.
The adorable pups will hopefully go on to become guide dogs or assistance dogs
The Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind Donegal branch is urgently looking for volunteer puppy raisers, home socialisers and temporary boarders to help the ‘I’ brood on the first stage of their training journey.
Home socialisers take a pair of pups for two weeks to introduce them to all sorts of everyday sounds and experiences. Then puppy raisers care for and train pups from 8 weeks old to 12-14 months. An assigned puppy-raising supervisor will support them throughout their journey and all food and veterinary bills are covered.
Temporary boarders support the long-term puppy raisers when they need to go away for a day or two, or a holiday. This could be anywhere from a weekend to 3 weeks at a time.
Volunteering with Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind has been a hugely rewarding experience for Christine as well as her husband and two daughters.
“We are big animal lovers,” Christine said. “After I lost my three Boxer dogs, one after the other, I was chatting to my friend Catherine who used to work for Irish Guide Dogs in Cork and she introduced me to the idea of getting Poppie.
“When I did it first, I thought I was crazy when Poppie had 10 puppies and they were running around the house. Then I saw pictures of them grown and out walking with their clients, I thought it was amazing to play a wee tiny part. We were very proud as a family.
“It’s nice to be part of something and give something back.”
Brood bitches Bella (2) and Poppie (5)
Poppie is now five years old and is being a very supportive ‘auntie’ to Bella’s pups.
These brood bitches are carefully selected based on temperament and health, as are the stud dogs, and are bred under very careful policies.
Like all volunteers, Christine has been well supported through the breeding programme and even had a veterinary nurse with her overnight during Bella’s whelping process.
Christine is already putting in some familiarisation work with the pups, exposing them to noises like hoovers and TVs and introducing them to young children, even adults with unique appearances like beards!
The Irish Guide Dogs Donegal Branch is a very active and hard-working group of dog lovers and handlers. New volunteers are needed across the county, no matter how much or how little time you can offer.
Find out about the different volunteer roles available: https://buff.ly/3zD1y9r or if you have any questions about puppy raising/boarding, just message the Facebook page: Irish Guide Dogs Donegal Branch
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