Albus' puppy page

Pupdate 6 - Albus’ exciting news

Hello, it’s Gordon here, Albus’ owner.

A little about me

I was born in Zimbabwe, and at the age of 22, I packed up and headed for England. I’d completed a course training as a chef, and I wanted to go out and get more experience before going back home to settle down. Although, that plan went out the window when I met my wife! We’ve now got three incredible children, two cats, and, of course, the wonderful Albus.

For the last 18 years, I’ve worked for a German manufacturing company in customer service and technical support of products. They’re a big company so no two days are the same – which I really enjoy.

Visual impairment is something I was born with, as, unfortunately, my mother caught rubella when she was pregnant with me. I was diagnosed with coloboma in both eyes, which is really rare. This means that some of the tissues in my eyes didn’t grow, leaving me with no vision in one eye and 20 per cent vision in the other.

Magical Albus

Guide Dogs is a charity I’ve always known about, but it was my wife who encouraged me to enquire. I didn’t realise how much easier things could be until I asked for help. The team who helped me were incredible. They encouraged me to push myself out of my comfort zone and gave me confidence when using my white cane. The day I got the call from Maddie, my Guide Dog Mobility Specialist, to say she’d found me a match was the most incredible day. It felt huge, like my world was about to open up.

Albus is my first guide dog, and I found partnership training an amazing experience; I also learnt so much about myself. Maddie was great! She was so patient and took the time to reassure me, addressing any concerns my family and I had. During the six weeks of training, we went to lots of different places and learnt routes that I do regularly, such as the school runs.

Life with Albus

Our household is a busy one. I do the school runs each day and take my youngest daughter, Willow, to after-school clubs such as swimming and horse riding. Albus is amazing at helping us to get there safely. He also gets on well with our two cats, Luna and Pedro. Luna keeps lying close to him like she’s asking him to play – it’s really sweet.

Recently, Willow told me she had a serious question; she couldn’t figure out who she loved more, Albus or Luna! It’s safe to say he’s settled in well with us.

As a family, we love taking Albus to our favourite parks. He loves running around and playing with other dogs. Albus absolutely adores playing in water. If there’s a puddle to play in, he’ll find it – even if it’s the driest day, he’ll always manage to find water somewhere!

I’m a huge cricket fan. I played blind cricket once, but in my first match, I dived and landed badly. It’s safe to say I’m better at watching than playing. Luckily, my son enjoyed playing, so I used to attend all his games.

Thank you

Life with Albus is amazing! We’re a quirky family, and he fits right in. He encourages me to slow down and not rush, which helps my anxiety.

Thank you for sponsoring Albus. Without your support and that of the team at Guide Dogs, I wouldn’t have this incredible life changer.

Smiling man walking in the countryside wearing a sweatshirt with sponsored pup Albus design.

Exclusive range!

Check out our brand-new Albus merchandise! We’ve partnered with Teemill to produce sustainable and fun designs for our wonderful sponsors. T-shirts, hoodies, mugs and notebooks – there’s something for everyone.

Shop now