Go North East says it is proud to announce a new partnership with Guide Dogs in Newcastle, offering free bus travel to volunteer puppy raisers who play a vital role in training the next generation of guide dogs. The volunteers can now travel for free across the Go North East network by presenting their Guide Dogs ID pass, allowing puppies to practice essential skills on public transport, a crucial step in their development to become fully trained guide dogs.
As part of the initiative, Go North East recently hosted a training session with Guide Dogs Newcastle on one of its electric Voltra buses, during which the puppies practised boarding, travelling, and disembarking in a calm, controlled environment, helping to prepare them for future real-world challenges.
Puppy Development Advisor at Guide Dogs in Newcastle Rebecca Stranney said: “A huge thank you to Go North East for providing free travel for our volunteers and hosting this training session. Many guide dog owners rely on public transport and so providing real-world settings like this is invaluable to the puppies’ development, helping to prepare them for their future roles as life-changing guide dogs for people with sight loss.
“We know that it can be tempting to approach our lovely dogs, but if you see one in training or working it’s important that they aren’t distracted from their very important job of keeping their owner safe, so please admire them from a distance.”
Business Director at Go North East Ben Maxfield added: “We’re proud to support Guide Dogs and its amazing volunteers. By offering free travel, we hope to help prepare guide dogs for the future, and we look forward to welcoming more puppies and volunteers on board.”
