Millie's Puppy Page

Millie's forever home

Black Labrador Millie laying down in the sun in a garden setting

Hello, it’s Malcolm here, I have rehomed Millie!

Millie has become an important part of our family; after a short settling-in period, she’s enjoying life very much. We walk four or five miles every day with my pet dog George, the border collie. Every morning and evening, my partner Claire and her golden retriever Robin join us, and it’s heartwarming to see our three dogs forming a fantastic pack! We all enjoy our long woodland walks and feel lucky to live close to local fields and canal towpaths to explore. Millie loves playing on the beach in all weather with her new friends. When we’re at home she likes to snooze in her bed with her favourite toys, and Claire finds inspiration from Millie for her writing and poetry.

Thank you for sponsoring Millie!

Millie sitting on grass looking with inquisitively towards camera

New horizons

Although we have a world-class breeding and training programme, not every pup is suited to becoming a guide dog or buddy dog. Occasionally, puppies need to be taken out of training for their best interests and the happiness of any potential future owner.

Since we sent you your last Pupdate, Millie progressed to Guide Dogs Training School but found the move tough and struggled to settle into the training environment. Millie became quite unhappy being surrounded by so many new people and began to find new experiences challenging; her confidence really took a hit. Although Millie picks up skills well, she is easily startled which has been disrupting her training as she struggles to bring her attention back to the task at hand.

It was clear that Millie was no longer enjoying her training. Because of this, we decided to take Millie out of the training programme and assess her for a career as a buddy dog (a companion dog for a child with a visual impairment). Millie’s trainer spent lots of time trying to help her relax and develop her confidence in new situations, but she didn’t see the progress she hoped for. During Millie’s assessment to become a buddy dog, it was agreed that the unpredictable nature of children and their constantly changing routines within the family unit wouldn’t be suitable for her. Given the circumstances, we felt it would be best to take Millie out of the training programme.

We are of course sad to share this news, but hope you understand that Guide Dogs must keep the welfare and safety of people with sight loss and the dogs we train at the heart of everything we do.

Millie is currently living with her wonderful fosterers and is in the process of being rehomed. We’re confident she will have her forever home soon.

Thank you for all your support of Millie. Whilst life as a guide dog wasn’t right for her, Millie was a fantastic advocate for Guide Dogs and helped to raise awareness by wearing her puppy coat whilst out with her Puppy Raiser, Alison.

Thank you again for all your support; we rely on donations to continue our life-changing work, which means without you, we couldn't be Guide Dogs!

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Millie's Facebook Group

Please note, by requesting to join your puppy’s Facebook group you consent to Guide Dogs storing your Facebook ID on our database. This information will be used only for the purpose of administering your access to this group and, if you choose to sponsor another puppy in future, any similar groups. If you choose to cancel your sponsorship, or if your sponsorship comes to an end, we will remove your Facebook ID details from our records.