(More than 100 puppies are currently being raised by staff at the Guide Dogs National Breeding Centre.

Centre prepares to care for record numbers of dogs and puppies

Guide Dogs is preparing for the busiest Christmas on record at it's National Breeding Centre after the charity had to pause it's breeding programme for three months as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.

More than 100 puppies under seven weeks old are currently being raised at the centre. When they reach eight weeks old, they will be placed with a volunteer to begin their guide dog training.

Guide Dogs are expecting some 30 puppies and their mothers to be at the centre over Christmas, along with 30 adult dogs. Last year the charity had no puppies in it's care until 30 December.

Head of breeding operations at Guide Dogs Matthew Bottomley said: “The breeding programme has been operating for over 50 years and 2020 is the first time in history that we were forced to halt operations.

“Christmas is going to be a really busy time for us and as our dogs need care and attention around the clock, we’ll have staff and volunteers working 24 hours a day to ensure everything runs smoothly.”

Around 20 members of staff will be working round the clock to care for the dogs at the breeding centre across the Christmas period. The team will also remain on call to take dogs in need of specialist care into Guide Dogs' hospital block.

The charity is asking for support from the public through initiatives like Sponsor a Puppy, to help support guide dogs from birth to retirement.

Matthew Bottomley concluded: “These are unprecedented times, and here at Guide Dogs we will continue to nurture and develop our puppies to help them go on to train as wonderful assistance dogs which play such a vital role in transforming the lives of people with sight loss in the UK.”