New Guide Dogs puppy Dudley named in honour of the borough

The nine-week-old pooch, along with two other puppies, were funded thanks to a £16,000 donation from former mayor Councillor Margaret Aston.

During her 2014-15 mayoral term, Cllr Aston carried out a number of fundraising activities to raise £32,000 that has been split between her two supported charities – Guide Dogs and Action Heart.

In her role as sponsor, Margaret was asked to name the three puppies and she chose Dudley, Bentley and Arthur, who is named after her father.

The Castle and Priory councillor said the charity is very close to her heart as brother has sight loss and uses a guide dog.

She added: “I know first-hand how much Guide Dogs struggles for funding, but they are such a well deserving charity.

“It is lovely to get the chance to see Dudley, and I must thank every person who made a donation to my mayoral fundraising last year.

“I was overwhelmed by the support I received and was surprised to have been able to raise £16,000 for the charity. But the puppies are worth every penny.”

Dudley is now being housed with St James’s Road couple Sue and Roy Philpott who have been Guide Dogs puppy walkers since 2010, with Dudley being their fifth pup.

The pair receive no funding from the charity to look after the puppies, which they do until the dogs are developed enough to be handed over to guide dog users.

Sue said: “Dudley is the best behaved puppy we have ever had; he is lovely. He is getting used to noise, as well as playing with our own two-year-old dog Yvonne.

“We will keep Dudley until he is ready to be housed with someone who has sight loss, which is usually when they are about 12 to 14-months-old.

“We take them outside and get them used to traffic from day one as that will be their main role when they are a guide dog.”

Roy added: “We don’t receive any funding, all we do is pay Guide Dogs £1 and we will raise the puppies for them.

“We regularly meet up with other guide dog volunteers for walks, and we also go into schools to teach the children about what we do.

“When we take the puppies with us you can see the children’s eyes light up and you then have their undivided attention.”

Sue Philpott, Cllr Margaret Aston, Jess Jarvis, Guide Dogs puppy training supervisor and Roy Philpott with Dudley

Being volunteer puppy walkers does have its downsides however, both Sue and Roy claim having a young pup is “like having a baby” as they are kept up all night and the dogs require around the clock attention.

Sue added: “The good thing about taking them from puppies is that it is only a one year commitment, and we consider our position at the end of each year; unlike a dog of your own which you have for life.

“But the worst thing is having to give them up when they are ready. It is heart-breaking when you hand them over, and I think it actually gets harder each time.”

To apply to be a puppy walker, or any of the voluntary roles with Guide Dogs across the borough, contact Shropshire Mobility. For more information, or to find out how you can help, call 0118 983 8756.