This
website had been designed for the Puppy Walkers, Trainers and
Owners of Esta’s puppies, to show pictures and give updates of
their progress as well as for keeping in touch and finding out
what the rest of the family are up to.
It is NOT the formal website of the Guide Dogs which can be
found here, nor will
you find any puppies for sale on this site. All of Esta’s pups
will be puppy walked for around 12 months and trained by the
Guide Dogs to become Service Dogs.
If you would like to find out more about becoming a Puppy Walker
or indeed a Brood Bitch Holder like me, or if you are looking to
Sponsor a Guide Dog Puppy, please visit the above mentioned site
as it is full of interesting information.
I first became interested in fostering a Brood Bitch, when I met
a very nice couple with a 15 months old Labrador Bitch, which
was very boisterous and they wanted some help training her and I
learned that this was their 3rd Guide Dog Brood Bitch. I decided
to make enquiries about fostering a German Shepherd Brood Bitch,
as I had been wondering where to get my next GSD from. I have
always had German Shepherds and trained them for a sport called
Working Trials, which involves Tracking & Agility, but I was
looking to do something different with my next one and this
seemed like a nice idea and I would be doing something for a
charity that I have long admired. In fact I had always wanted to
become a Guide Dog Trainer, but when I applied for this many
years ago, I was told that I had to ‘live in’, which was not
possible as I was already married. This of course is no longer
the case as all Guide Dog Trainers now commute to work.
After the initial home visits and assessments I was told that it
could be quite a long wait, as there were not many German
Shepherds in the Breeding Scheme at the time, but I did not mind
as I had just taken on a deaf Cocker Spaniel, who required a lot
of training, so it gave me time to get some control over him
before any new arrival. I waited 2 years before I was offered
Esta and she was well worth the wait. She has been my most
obedient and intelligent Shepherd to date and that is with very
little training! She is very creative, a problem solver and very
aware of her surroundings. She is no doubt a product of very
selective and good breeding and I hope her pups will turn out
the same. Read more about Esta here.
If you have any stories and/or pictures relating to Esta’s pups,
please email them to me at
