Daisy has a holiday

Daisy's been on a bit of an adventure!

With the relaxing of some government guidelines, her volunteers Peter and Hazel were able to go on a holiday to Weymouth. They accompanied two other volunteers, Barry and Liz, who are looking after Hope - another sponsor puppy!

This is one of the (many, many) reasons our volunteers are so great. They spend so much time looking after our puppies, training them, welcoming them into their homes, but they're also a super network of people who support each other, and even go on holidays together.

As well as going to Weymouth, Peter also went to town on the production. Take a look...

He clearly enjoyed putting that together! And it looks like Daisy enjoyed starring in it. She's always been a bit of a one for having her photo taken.

Notice also how Daisy just takes it all in her stride. After all the time and patience (and love) Peter and Hazel have given her, she's so confident and nothing bothers her. This means that, when she starts to help a deaf person, she'll be comfortable wherever they go together.

Here's some more footage of her actually on the train.

Again, she's so calm. This is what's called 'settling', whereby Daisy knows that she doesn't need to fuss or be anxious. She's so content in her own world, that she can just sit patiently, knowing that she's being a good girl.

And what do good girls get? A bit of a run-around, that's what!

The dog with her is Hope who, as well as being another sponsor puppy, is also Daisy's half-sister. We'd love to tell you which is which above, but honestly, we don't know. Votes please!

As well as showing off her training on the train, Daisy also did really well on escalators.

See how easy that was? Dogs must be carried on escalators, so Daisy needs to know that everything's fine, she'll just allow herself to be picked up and then watch the world go by. No fuss, no problem.

Here's another great example of Daisy being as cool as a cucumber when visiting the DIY store.

Again, she's great, isn't she?

Of course, no holiday would be complete without the obligatory holiday snaps.

Here's Daisy and Hazel, taking in the sun during a spot of downtime.

Liz, Hope, Daisy and Hazel enjoyed visiting the harbour...

... and Daisy dreamed of being a Lifeboat Dog.

Notice how distinctive her burgundy coat is?

She's wearing an 'I'm learning to be a hearing dog' coat, which means she can enter public places such as supermarkets because she's an assistance dog in training. However, when she graduates, she'll get to wear a full 'Hearing Dogs for Deaf People' coat. This will tell people that the person she's with is deaf, and it's such a powerful signal.

Deaf people tell us that it can completely change a situation. Instead of people being impatient with them, thinking the deaf person is ignoring them, they become very helpful when they realise that no, the person isn't being rude, they just can't hear. It's a massive relief, knowing that other people are more aware.

Oh, and Daisy also met a huge fork (this was in The Walled Garden at Moreton House). Just as training in case she ever meets huge forks in future, obviously.

And, of course, she got lots of cuddles! As well she might, because she's fabulous.

That's all for now. We hope you think Daisy's fabulous too. She really does have it all - she's so gentle and loving, lovely to look at, friendly, bright, and the ideal partner for a deaf person who right now might be feeling very lost and lonely.

She's come so very far, and this is thanks to you. So again, until next time, thank you for sponsoring Daisy!