Meet Clive and find out how you could give a dog like him a home in Wigan through Guide Dogs

Pierre is the only son of Trigger to go into Guide Dogs’ breeding programme and has already fathered 13 litters and 99 puppies so far, one of which is Clive.

Clive is an 8-month old Golden Retriever. He comes from a proud lineage of breeding dogs, with his grandmother Sybil coming from a guide dogs organisation in France.

He is cared for by his Puppy Raisers, Gerard and Helen Hurst in Wigan, who describe him as “intelligent and gentle”.

Volunteer Puppy Raisers provide puppies with vital foundations for their future role, teaching them basic commands and helping them get used to different environments. Gerard and Helen will look after Clive until he is just over a year old, when he will move to a Guide Dogs’ centre to start his training.

This helps to prepare them for when they are matched with someone living with sight loss and become their guide.

Gerard said: “With work and a young family behind us, we thought of what we can do next that offers a sense of achievement and helps out local community. A chance encounter with a guide dog puppy raiser at a park sparked a curiosity”.

Helen continued: “We attended a Guide Dogs open day [at its training centre in Atherton]. It was so inspiring and welcoming”.

Gerard and Helen initially signed up to become Fosterers, who care for the training dogs during evenings and weekends. They soon became puppy raisers.

The pair said: “In November 2024 an 8-week old Clive joined us. He’s now 8-months and we are extremely proud of Clive. He is very intelligent, sleeps well through the night and quickly understands the behaviours we teach him. He is a large dog but on the whole is very gentle.

“Support from Guide Dogs has been excellent and always understanding of our circumstances. We are always thanked for what we do; there is always someone to call if needed”.

Jan Johnston, a Puppy Development Advisor for Guide Dogs, said: “Gerard and Helen are fantastic puppy raisers. We’re so grateful to all of our volunteers and we wouldn’t be able to do what we do without their support and time.

“We’re always looking for more puppy raisers in the Wigan area to take care of our dogs from when they’re around 8-weeks old, up until they start their guide dog training – around 12-14 months old. You get training and support throughout, so you don’t need experience with dogs. Guide Dogs covers costs including dog food, so you’re never out of pocket”.

For Gerard and Helen, one of the biggest motivators to volunteer is meeting a guide dog owner. They said: “we were talking to the wife of a guide dog owner who explained, not only did having the guide dog give her husband independence, it also gave her back her freedom as well. It made us realise it’s life-changing for the family, too”.

There are around 3,500 guide dogs in the UK, who will of all have had a volunteer Puppy Raiser preparing them for their working role. Guide Dogs is currently looking for more volunteer Puppy Raisers across Wigan.

For more information about puppy raising for Guide Dogs, please visit guidedogs/org.uk/puppyraiser