Guide Dogs and South Western Rail collaborate to provide puppy travel training

South Western Railway (SWR) and Guide Dogs have collaborated to host a training session for puppies at the operator’s Portsmouth and Southsea station, as part of the dogs’ preparation for a future as life-changing companions for people with sight loss.

The puppies are aged between six and fourteen months old and they spent a morning getting fur-miliar with the railway for the first time, gaining valuable exposure to the many sights and sounds of trains and stations, and learning how to behave when using the network.

Labrador puppies Jive, Sally, and Florence, along with Golden Retriever Dougie, are part of a wider cohort of over 200 pups being trained by volunteers across the South West and Wales.

Across the UK, there are almost 1,200 pups in training to help people with sight loss get through each day whilst feeling supported.

Peter Williams, Customer and Commercial Director for South Western Railway, said: “We are delighted to support Guide Dogs as we know what a difference a canine companion can make for helping customers with sight loss to travel with confidence on the railway.

SEE ALSO: Whiteley Shopping Centre announces free summer events for children as celebration of 10th anniversary

“SWR is committed to creating an inclusive customer experience for all our customers, making it as easy and reliable as possible to travel on our network.”

The pups learned how to board a train, whilst minding the gap between the train and the platform, and they mastered getting comfortable on the train.

As future guide dogs, the puppies have to get used to different experiences and environments to help their owners travel with confidence and the train service offered up a vehicle that was in dwelling at a Hampshire platform.

Leanne Kelly, Puppy Development Advisor for Guide Dogs, said: “We would like to thank SWR for the opportunity to introduce our puppies to train travel. I’m pleased to say that the morning went well, and the puppies and volunteers had a very positive experience. The train staff were very helpful and very conscientious of both the young puppies and the volunteer puppy raisers present.”

SWR will continue to work alongside Guide Dogs and this session with the gorgeous pups is just the first of many.