Guide Dogs

Wed, Jan 14th 2026 at 12:40 pm - 2:00 pm

Danny Rooney and Guide Dog puppy "Sultan"

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The guest speaker was Danny Rooney who described his role as a puppy raiser and trainer for the Guide Dogs Blind Association, a role he began 17 years ago after retiring from the RAF. His current trainee guide dog – Sultan – goes everywhere with him to get used to supporting a blind person in all sorts of different contexts. Sultan also accompanies Danny when he gives talks about the Association to raise awareness and funds, and to inspire others to volunteer. Danny explained that the process involved in training and matching a guide dog to a blind person is, quite rightly, a lengthy one. All guide dogs are born at a special breeding centre at Leamington Spa. Aged eight weeks they go to trainers like Danny for up to 18 months and then, if they pass this stage successfully (some puppies are just not cut out to be guide dogs) they are sent for the last six months to a special professional centre in Forfar for final training. The whole process can take a maximum of two years. Only then can a guide dog be matched with a person. The Association’s staff visit people in their homes and undertake a rigorous assessment to ensure that the match will work from both perspectives. It is also made clear that the guide dog is on loan from the Association, in case for some unforeseen reason things don’t work out. Once matched, the dog will stay with the blind person for nine or ten years before retiring and being re-homed with suitable people. Around 700 people are currently on the waiting list for a guide dog. The Guide Dog Association’s aim is to provide a guide dog for every one of these people, which is why they do so much fundraising and are constantly looking for volunteers to cover a variety of roles. Anyone interested in helping and would like to find out more should visit:. https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/guide-dogs-scotland/ Dennis Hopper gave the vote of thanks.