Here is a picture of Betty in training.  She is learning how to cope with railway stations and to board trains safely.  

November 29, 2021

Dear Mr Ken Weinling,

We are delighted to let you know that Betty, the guide dog puppy named in memory of Bob & Betty Hutchinson, has entered the next stage of her guide dog training.  We’re sure you’ll join us in wishing her the very best of luck as she moves a step closer to potentially becoming a life-changing guide. 

Thank you so much for your amazing support of Betty.

Yours sincerely,

Director of Fundraising and Marketing

Here is a lovely video from Guide Dogs, all about Betty.

Dear Mr Ken Weinling,

Please join us in celebrating Betty’s first birthday! Thanks to your generous support, in memory of Bob & Betty Hutchinson. Betty has had an amazing first year, and I hope that you have enjoyed following her development and adventures.

Betty will hopefully soon progress to the next stage. Each puppy is unique and develops at their own pace, and some pups might not enter this next stage until they are 15 months old, so it may be a little while before we are able to share the amazing news that they have moved on with you.

Every hour, another person in the UK goes blind. When someone loses their sight, Guide Dogs is here to make sure they don’t lose their freedom as well. We rely on donations to continue our life-changing work. Every pound raised makes a difference to people in the UK living with sight loss, so we are incredibly grateful for your generosity and support. 

Betty’s

Second Pupdate

Since we last wrote to you, Betty has improved further in her training and learnt lots of new things – we’ve spoken to her Puppy Walker, Denise, to find out how they’re getting on.

Betty will soon be wearing the Guide Dogs puppy jacket while out on training walks. This bright blue jacket is useful for showing people that the puppy wearing it is in training and shouldn’t be distracted. It also helps pups get used to the feeling of something on their back in preparation for wearing a harness in the later stages of training.

Since we last wrote to you, Betty has been honing a new skill – her recall, on the free runs she’s been able to enjoy since receiving the last of her vaccinations. Denise said that Betty’s recall is ‘great’ and that it’s her favourite activity. Betty will ‘do anything for food’ so she always responds quickly when Denise calls her or uses the whistle, in the hope of receiving a tasty treat.

At this point in training the pups will try their paws at visiting busy town centres and exploring the big wide world around them, as well as practising walking up and down flights of stairs and going in and out of different style lifts. This is great exposure for the pups as it gets them used to different environments and experiences.

Weekly training routines will also start to include travelling on different modes of transport. They usually start with car and bus journeys, and then move on to travelling by train. All pups are encouraged to jump on with confidence and curl up under their handler’s feet.

Denise told us that Betty is a ‘lively, confident and friendly girl’, who is also very gentle and a good companion. We think that Betty sounds like an absolute delight; a spirited pup who’s doing well with all her training, and clearly thriving in her loving home. We look forward to sending you Betty’s next report card soon.