Blue Peter welcomes trainee guide dog pup
The name and sex of Blue Peter's new guide dog puppy will be revealed this week.
A two-month-old guide dog puppy will make its TV debut on Blue Peter this week. The children's TV show this year celebrates 50 years since it welcomed its first guide dog to the team.
Blue Peter viewers will be introduced to the puppy on Thursday, when its name and sex will also be revealed.
Over the next year, viewers will be able to track the puppy's progress as it undergoes a comprehensive training course to become a fully qualified guide dog.
Presenter Lindsey Russell will be working with a puppy-walking family to help train the dog and a series of films on its training will be featured on the show throughout the year.
Guide Dogs chief executive Richard Leaman said it is a "great honour" to work with the Blue Peter team. "I am confident Lindsey's time with her new recruit will show this generation of Blue Peter viewers exactly why our puppies are so special," he added.
It has been fifty years since Blue Peter welcomed its first guide dog, Honey, to the team. She was puppy walked by presenters Christopher Trace and Valerie Singleton for a year, before she began advanced training. She passed her final guide dog assessment in September 1966.
Blue Peter editor, Ewan Vinnicombe, said: "It's great to be able to revisit a classic moment from Blue Peter's history but bring it right up to date to make it relevant to our current audience. We're looking forward to welcoming the new puppy into the team."
The puppy will make its debut in the Blue Peter studio on Thursday 19 at 5.30pm on CBBC.
Two independent vets have launched a podcast to help owners strengthen their bond with pets. Dr Maggie Roberts and Dr Vanessa Howie, who have worked in both veterinary practice and major charities, are keen to use their experience to enable people to give pets a better life.
