Your Stories

Darcy makes her radio debut - January 2009

Sue Dougan presents the Afternoon Show on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, and she's done a lot of things in the name of broadcasting; but teaching our sponsored Guide Puppy, Darcy, how to behave on the radio was a new challenge, even for her!

They've had Darcy since she was just seven weeks old and now, at the tender age of 11 weeks old, it's time for us to introduce you to the puppy you're sponsoring through your generous donations of unwanted mobile phones.

This is their sixth puppy and both John and Diana agree that Darcy's probably the liveliest they've ever looked after - especially once she's been to sleep for an hour or so - after a quick puppy nap, she's VERY lively indeed! And she's grown immensely during the few weeks she's been with them: "Almost daily," says John.

At this age, their teeth are remarkably sharp, and rather like a toddler, Darcy's into everything and it's all fair game for a bit of a chew. As you can see from the photograph, one of the first things she discovered was the bright yellow microphone in our studio - that was definitely crying out for a good chew!

Before that, though, she'd charmed everyone when she first arrived in our reception - and while she loved to be stroked, and didn't try to bite any of our hands, a few jacket sleeves came in for the 'Darcy treatment' and frayed edges were a distinct possibility.

What does a 'puppy walker' do?

A major part of the puppy walker's job is to socialise the would-be guide dog from a very early age and get them used to crowds and noises. So, this isn't Darcy's first outing - she's already visited Shire Hall where, according to John, "she was into every little nook and cranny".

"And of course all of the staff absolutely loved her," continues John. "Especially when she was only seven weeks old."

Sue makes friends with Darcy

Darcy's not just a pedigree Golden Retriever; she's also got pedigree when it comes to her future profession. Both her mother Tammy, and father, Sammy, are guide dogs for the blind, so we're all hoping that the remarkable skills she's going to need to succeed are already in her genes.

She's one of a litter of seven, all of whom are lucky enough to have been sponsored in similar ways to Darcy, and her brothers and sisters are now going through the same initial training as her.

John and Diana will look after Darcy for a year, during which time she'll be regularly evaluated. John says there's always a chance that a puppy will fail its training but, as he explains: "The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association can't risk having a dog that cannot perform 100% if they are guiding a blind person - wherever it might be."

If all goes well, Darcy will leave her puppy walkers after a year and move to a special school for more formalised training. She'll be given lots of tests and she'll need to pass every one before she is introduced into a partnership with a blind person.

Awww - she's SO cute!

There are around 7,500 people benefiting from the independence that dogs like Darcy afford them. "[Guide dogs] give people opportunities to be able to get out and do the sorts of things that we take as part of a normal day, but for a blind person, are extremely difficult to do," says John.

At this early stage in her training, Darcy is busy learning to respond to very basic commands such as sitting and lying down as well as "learning to do her business on command, outside, when we want her to".

Diana takes Darcy for an outing to a supermarket every day, and she's also been into a restaurant with the couple. But her biggest problem at the moment is getting used to the car. Initially, Darcy was very scared of being inside the vehicle, so John and Diana have been taking her on lots of short journeys to try to get her used to it, which seems to have worked as they recently managed to take her to Yorkshire and back without any trouble at all.

During Darcy's year with the couple, they'll be taking her pretty much everywhere they go, including eating out, theatres, concerts and visits to schools - she'll even go on holiday with them. But it's also a requirement that she spends a week or two with other puppy walkers, as it's important that she learns to be flexible.

You can hear more from John and Diana about life as a puppy walker - and if you listen really carefully, you can even hear Darcy trying to join in the conversation:

Keep-up-to-date with Darcy's Diaries

We're going to be following Darcy's training, bringing you regular updates on this website and in Sue Dougan's Afternoon Show on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, so remember to keep your paws on this page for the next installment.

Darcy: Introducing our new Guide Puppy

Gallery: When Darcy met Dougan. Some gorgeous photographs of little Darcy making her radio debut on Sue Dougan's show, taking her first training steps at Cambridge railway station, and meeting our radio reporters in the newsroom: