Bluebell Run
Bluebell Run photos 2015
Bluebell Run photos 2017
Although there
has been no
recent Bluebell
Run, the funds
that Liz and
Martin Lewis
raised in
previous runs
have been put
to good use.
At their
suggestion, BAMGOC have sponsored two
guide dog puppies - Lily and Murphy.
Well done Liz and Martin for your work in
raising the money to provide such a lovely gift
to those who have lost their sight.
SCROLL DOWN FOR
“PUPDATES”
Murphy is an golden retriever cross. Murphy’s
mum, Lacey, is a golden retriever cross and
dad, Trigger, is a golden retriever. Lily is a
German shepherd pup. Lily’s mum, Jolly, and
dad, Gene, are both German shepherds.
Now that they have been vaccinated and
assessed, they have been placed with their
Puppy Raisers who will look after them for a
year and help them to explore the sights,
sounds and smells of the world. It’s important
that these pups have lots of different
experiences, so they aren't nervous or fearful
of new situations. They will learn basic
commands like ‘sit’, ‘down’, ‘stay’ and ‘come’,
as well as other skills like to walk ahead on the
lead – not to ‘heel’. Next they will be off to
guide dog training school where they will learn
everything they need to know to guide a
person with sight loss.
With over 180,000 people with sight loss in the
UK rarely leaving home alone, the skills these
pups learn are vital.
We hope to keep you updated on these pups
as they progress.
PUPDATES
Update from Shirley and David, Murphy’s
Puppy Raisers.
Murphy is the eighth puppy we have puppy
raised. Six of our previous pups are now
fully trained! Casper, our most recent dog
before Murphy, had to be taken out of the
training programme due to health issues so
we rehomed him. Casper is a great
influence for Murphy.
Puppy raising has given us a lot of
pleasure. Although it can be hard work at
times it has so many benefits. One of the
best things about being puppy raisers is that
it enhances your social life; we’ve made so
many new friends. Everybody talks to you
when you’re out and about, it’s lovely.
Murphy is a very calm pup - he’s a lot
calmer than previous puppies we’ve had!
Murphy is extremely enthusiastic when
working or going out on a free run -
although he does have a cheeky side to
him, which is typical for retrievers! One
lovely aspect about Murphy is that he is
very gentle. When we’re walking and we
stop to talk to people, he’ll very patiently lay
down and wait until we’re ready to start
walking again.
Murphy is a laid-back pup
When Murphy first came to us, he took
around two weeks to settle fully, which is
very quick for young pups. He sleeps
through the night and seems to have
commpletely settled into the routine. In
addition to our rehomed dog Casper, we
also have a pet dog called Harvey. Harvey
is great with the puppies and lets Murphy
cuddle up to him. Harvey is a very relaxed
dog and is a sense of calm in the house,
acting as a mentor for young pups.
One of Murphy’s favourite things to do when
he’s tired is chew on the side of his bed until
he falls asleep. It’s very cute to watch!
Murphy is a very sociable pup. We try to
meet up with other people with dogs when
we can, and Murphy loves to free run with
them.
Murphy’s training
Every two weeks we attend a Zoom puppy
class with Murphy. He is doing very well and
seems to pick things up very quickly. He’s
very good if there’s food involved! He’ll ‘sit’
and ‘stay’ and ‘lie down’ very well. Recently
we’ve been working on food manners with
Murphy. This means that he’s learning to
not pick treats off the floor until he’s told to,
which is important as there can be food on
the floor when out and about. Murphy picks
up skills quickly and we have no doubt he’ll
master everything he attempts.
New sights and smells
Despite lockdown restrictions earlier this
year we’ve been able to experience lots of
new things with Murphy. For example, we
were lucky enough to take him on an empty
bus that was parked at the bus terminal.
This let him investigate what a bus looks
like.
We’ve taken Murphy in a lift, and also up
and down some stairs near a canal. The
canal has some geese - although Murphy
can get a bit distracted when he sees them,
he doesn’t pull on the lead at all and just
takes an interest in watching them. It’s
important for him to get used to not getting
distracted by animals.
See how much Murphy has grown
We have been taking pictures and videos of
Murphy since he was born so you can see
just how much he’s changed. To watch the
video please visit guidedogs.org.uk/puppy-
murphy
Update from Carole, Lily’s Puppy
Raiser.
Lily is the 12th dog I’ve puppy raised, and
it has been a joy so far. I absolutely love
being a Puppy Raiser as each stage gives
you satisfaction. It can be hard work but
the end reward of seeing a qualified guide
dog with their owner makes it all worth it.
When you get the call to hear that a dog
you looked after has qualified it feels like
being on cloud nine and makes you so
proud.
Lily is a quick learner; she is the first
German shepherd I’ve had and it was
interesting to see her differences
compared to previous pups I’ve raised.
Lily is a very loving dog and always
wantedf me beside her at the start, so she
took a bit longer to settle at night.
Through some trial and error in her
sleeping arrangments, we soon found out
that she felt a lot more comfortable when
sleeping in her crate. She’s been as good
as gold ever since.
Lily loves a cuddle
One word I can describe Lily as is lovable.
She has a gorgeous personality and
adores to be cuddled. We have a retired
guide dog called Ursi who is brillian with
Lily, their favourite things to do together
are play and sleep. It’s so lovely to see
them cuddled up together in bed,.
Lily can have her excitable moments that
all young puppies have, but she will settle
down really easily and will happily go to
her bed when asked.
Lily’s playful nature
Lily is a fan of any toy that makes a noise.
We’ve even had to hide one once! Her
favourite is a long green snake that
makes a bit of a weird sound. She’ll run
around with it in her mouth for ages,
squeaking away. She also has a squeaky
toy sloth which she shakes like crazy. Her
playful nature is so fun to watch and really
brings positivity to the house.
Lily’s training
Lily is getting on quite well with her basic
obedience training. She ‘sits’ and ‘waits’
well. Her ‘downs’ still need a bit more
work, however younger pups tend to need
to work on this more. Currently I am
getting her to stay down while walking
away. I have no doubt she’ll continue to
thrive with her training.
Lily is great while walking on the lead.
She can get a bit excited when seeing
other dogs but this is to be expected.
When I’m walking her and stop to talk to
someone, Lily is fantastic - she will sit
down straight away and be very patient.
Lots of people have stopped me to say
how well behaved she is! I’ve also been
training Lily to sit in the back of the car.
Like many pups, Lily can be nervous
when travelling in cars. To combat this,
I’ve put some of Lily’s kibble in the back of
the car to help her associate car rides
with a positibe experience. She’s doing a
lot better and is gaining confidence each
day.
Despite lockdown, Lily has experienced
lots of useful things that have helped her
in her training. For example, the other day
while on a lead walk, Lily saw her first
lawn mower. This was great as it’s useful
for young puppies to get comfortable with
experiencing these types of noises. One
of the more unique things Lily has seen is
a bouncy castle in a neighbour’s garden!
Lily stopped and I let her investigate it.
She was wary but coped very well.
See how much Lily has grown
We have been taking pictures and videos
of Lily since she was born so you can see
just how much she’s changed. To watch
the video please visit
guidedogs.org.uk/puppy-lily
Murphy and Lily - June 2021
Murphy and Lily - October 2021 -
click the pics for pupdates
Murphy and Lily - February 2022 -
click the pics for pupdates