Angie the Puppy Guide Dog's blog
Learn about The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association: visit www.guidedogs.org.uk/
January 2010
Hi Everyone
It’s me .... Angie ..... 
I’m getting quite big now so I go out and about a lot more. I have got a smart blue jacket to wear. Sometimes people look at me and say ‘that’s a special dog,’ but they don’t talk to me as much; mum says it’s because I’m working, but, if they ask and I sit nicely, 
I am allowed to have a fuss.
One afternoon we went to the Cambridge Regional College. Guide Dog Quin’s mum was doing a talk there, later we got to meet the students: 
That was fun.
Some times I go all the way into town on the bus, I don’t mind the walking in town
but one day I got fed up and went to sleep 
when mum decided to try on shoes.
Some Mondays we go into St Ives and have a walk around the market, hen we go and sit by the river : I like to watch the birds, .
Mum say’s I am very good not to chase them. Quite often Mum and Dad will go to have a coffee, that’s supposed to be part of my training, but I just sit quietly under the table.
t
One day we went to a garden centre and I saw this funny looking man sitting on a bench, Mum said he was called Santa and gave presents to children if they were good. I must have been very good because a few days later there were lots of new toys for me. My favourite one is a big teddy which I can cuddle up to when I am tired.
I have been up to the Hospital a few times now, once to meet a lady at the eye clinic, sometimes just to walk : I have to get use to all sorts of places. There are lots of stairs for me to practice on, they are fine but I don’t like going into that box thing that Mum calls a lift. She says we will have to work on that. On our last visit she said I should try a revolving door, but it was OK with me: I just had to walk steady then it let me out.
One night when I went out for my “busy busy” - yes I soon learnt that meant a wee and now I go when I am told - anyway, ..that night it was all white and very cold on my paws but I loved it, and for the next few days Dad would take me into the park to play. We had great fun. It’s nearly all gone away again now, so it’s back to work.
By the way I finally got to go on a train
and I don’t really know what all the fuss was about: not much different from the bus, just a bigger step up but nice carpet to lay on, and they are very quiet inside, not like when they rush past in the station. I will go on it again, maybe longer next time, as we only went to Royston to try it out.
I am going now to watch Shaun the Sheep, that’s my favourite TV program
August - October 2009
Hi Everyone
My name is Angie I am a Golden Retriever Guide Dog puppy. I was just 8 weeks old when my new mum & dad came to collect me, that’s a picture of me when I was first put in mum’s (Pauline) arms:
I think she loved me straight off, but was still a little sad because Rossi had just left to go to training school. Anyway, we got into the car and I sat on mum’s lap all the way to my new home in Longstanton.
The first few days I either stayed in bed or played with my toys
except when mum would carry me to a little pen in the garden, where she would say “busy-busy good girl” then give me a treat, but I had only done a wee.
The next week a lady called Fran came with her puppy Marinka, and we all went to Tesco:
Mum put me in a bag and carried me. I liked that because I could see people and get lots of fuss. I could not go for a walk like Marinka because I had not had something called a “Jab”.
When I was 12 weeks I was taken to see the vet. He was supposed to give me my “Jab”, but after feeling me over and rubbing my neck, all I got was a treat, though he did say I could go for walks the next week.
After that there was no stopping me: at first it was just short walks in the village. One afternoon we called in the Parish Pantry, mum & dad had tea and cakes, I got lots of fuss.
A nice lady asked if I would like to be in Longstanton Life, another said I could have my own “Blog”. Dad said that would be good, he seemed to know what it was.
Since then I have been to visit all the local garden centres.
Also I went on the P & R bus to the Grafton Centre and the hospital where I went up and down lots of stairs, mum said I did that really well. We also helped at a fund raising event: that’s me next to Sponsor a Puppy poster.
In October mum and dad took me on holiday to Devon, I liked being in the caravan:
Every morning we went for a walk to see the animals. If I sat nice and still they would come and talk to me.
I have been to the station a few times now to see the trains, I don’t get to see much as they go so fast, also they make a lot of noise but I don’t mind that. Mum & dad said I can go for a ride on one soon: I'll be able to tell you all about that next time.
Angie