Rocket is our latest Guide Dog Puppy. He was born in August 2017 and has seven siblings.

Breed: Labrador

Gender: Male

Colour: Black

Dad: Nick

Mum: Bunty

Siblings: Kirk, Kaden, Ashley, Nancy, Koko, Kyla, Kerry

The first seven weeks

Soon after birth, each pup is dried and weighed. The pups will be monitored closely to make sure that each pup is gaining weight and growing healthily. The puppies develop and grow in the nest under the watchful eye of mum.

Time to explore

Becoming a guide dog is a fun and exciting time for a puppy. The National Breeding Centre is a new adventure for them - one they are bursting to explore, with uniquely designed indoor and outdoor puppy play areas and with warm cosy beds ready to use when they need a snooze.

Volunteer Puppy Socialisers play, cuddle and spend time with our guide dog pups, whilst our team of highly trained Guide Dogs staff provide round the clock care.

After a day or so of exploring their new surroundings, each puppy completes a puppy profiling assessment. This is a series of games which gives us a very early indication as to how well the pup will respond to guide dog training.