A Scots guide dog, who took Celtic Park in his stride, has bid farewell to the couple who trained him.
Striding out of the tunnel to 60,000 Hoops fans ahead of the Celtic vs Dundee match was a walk in the park for guide dog puppy in training Phelps. The walk was the culmination of over a year of training and in a couple of weeks the one-year-old golden Labrador will move on to his last bit of training before hopefully becoming a guide dog, reports Glasgow Live.
His first-time puppy raiser, Celtic fan Gerard McLaughlin, alongside his partner, were inspired to take in a pup because they have friends with vision difficulties. Puppy raisers provide a safe home for potential guide dog puppies, teaching them basic commands and getting them used to the kind of situations a guide dog is likely to work in.
Gerard is semi-retired and decided it was the right time to raise a pup. He said: “Having friends that have vision problems, I know how life changing a guide dog can be for a blind person so I signed up.
“We got Phelps when he was three months old and he had some training already. His first puppy raising home fell through and he ended up with us. It’s our first pup, so we have been learning along beside him, but the training and support from Guide Dogs Scotland has been incredible. It’s been one of the best things we have ever done.”
Puppy raisers go to regular training sessions and also take their dog out to places like train stations, shopping centres and even football matches to get them used to all types of situations. They also follow an online training guide to make sure their pup’s training is progressing as it should. The puppy raiser will keep the pup until they are just over one year old before they move on to the last part of intensive guide dog training.
A highlight of raising Phelps was taking him to Celtic Park last month to lead the players on to the pitch to celebrate Celtic FC’s fundraising efforts for Guide Dogs Scotland. Phelps confidently walked out to tens of thousands of football fans and posed for photos.
Gerard, whose dad Patrick McLaughlin played for Celtic from 1955-57, said: “That was an amazing experience for me. My dad was a player for Celtic and the family have supported the team for years. Seeing Phelps walk out the tunnel on to Celtic Park with Luke McCowan was just incredible, he was so well behaved and I was so proud of him.”
The McLaughlin family only have a few weeks left with Phelps before he goes on to the last part of his training and can hopefully graduate to be a fully-fledged guide dog and help one of two million people living in the UK with visual impairment. The thought of Phelps moving on is bittersweet for Gerard.
He said: “Of course I am going to miss him terribly, he is a real part of the family and brought us nothing but joy. But we knew what we were signing up for and are so proud of how far he has come. He will hopefully pass the last part of the training and be a guide dog for someone that needs him. He will not only be someone’s best pal, he will be their life line and allow them so much freedom.
“We would love to raise another puppy and if anyone is considering volunteering, I would absolutely urge them to sign up.”
You can register your interest in raising a guide dog puppy by visiting www.guidedogs.org.uk/volunteer or call Guide Dogs on 0800 781 1444.
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond.Sign up to our daily newsletter.