A BLIND action man has raised almost £7,000 to transform a puppy into a life-changing guide dog.
Nige Hughes from Rossett lost his beloved guide dog, Torch, unexpectedly in June last year and now following a series of challenges has raised enough money to choose the name of a tiny German Shepherd Retriever who will now begin training as a guide dog.
Nige, a Test Manager for HSBC in Chester joined friends Lee Butterworth and Matt Clarke for an epic 10-mile Tough Mudder course, which included jumping through ice cold water and risking electric shocks.
Previously he completed a 200-mile tandem ride from London to Paris, prompting them to choose Tandem as the name of the new guide dog puppy.
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The 52-year-old revealed that he hopes Tandem will go and have a life changing influence on someone.
“Torch was my fourth guide dog. When he died, I used a long cane to get out and about, but I didn’t like using it. I took the challenges to help raise funds so that other blind people like me could get a guide dog sooner rather than later.
“It’s great that Tandem is a shepherd retriever cross, just like Torch was. I hope he goes on to change someone’s life for the better.”
In a touching moment, Tandem was bought to meet Nige, his new guide dog, Bella, Lee, and Matt by volunteer puppy raisers, Peter and Pamela Reeves.
“We enjoyed the meeting very much, and so did Bella,” said Nige. “We qualified as a partnership a few weeks ago and I haven’t touched my long cane since. Bella’s obstacle avoidance is excellent and she deals with everything you put in front of her.
“Bella loved meeting Tandem, and Lee, Matt and I enjoyed listening to Peter and Pam explain how they raise Tandem and their experiences raising other guide dog puppies, including one that went for breeding rather than guiding.”
Tandem will now remain with the Reeves until he is about 14 months old, when he is likely to be ready to start intensive guide dog training.
If you’d like to find out more about naming a guide dog puppy, or volunteering to become a puppy raiser in Flintshire, please visit www.guidedogs.org.uk.
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