New Scottish guide dog school opens

A WORLD-class guide dog training school has been officially opened in Forfar, Scotland. Dogs will come to the new centre at about one year old for initial training before going out to teams around the UK for further ‘on the job’ training.

There is an outdoor area where dogs can get used to different paving types, traffic lights and obstacles such as bollards, road signs and even a puddle. An indoor section will allow obstacle and agility equipment to be set up for the animals when the weather is bad.

Operators of the centre have said that the design of the kennels is also innovative. They are set in an ‘L’ shape so that the dogs can see and interact with each other and staff.

HRH Princess Alexandra carried out the official opening ceremony last month.

Guide Dogs chief executive Bridget Warr said: ‘This is a fantastic day for Guide Dogs as we celebrate the opening of our world-class guide dog training school that supports our position as a world-leader in the breeding and training of guide dogs’. Guide dogs are in constant demand as their working life is only about six years and an owner could have about seven dogs during their lifetime.