13 April 2023 , 19:21
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A Pride of Britain award-winner who has spent her life campaigning for the rights of blind people fears she will be left housebound due to a shortage of guide dogs.
Jill Allen-King, 83, could face a wait of up to two years for her next companion when her beloved dog Jagger, 11, is retired from service.
The activist, who received her Lifetime Achievement PoB gong from late comedian and dog lover Paul O’Grady, says more than 1,000 people are facing similar delays.
Jill, from Westcliff, Essex, told the Mirror: “I have had guide dogs for 51 years. Jagger is due to retire on June 1 and for the first time they haven’t got any new dogs.
“It will take away my independence completely. I went totally blind on my wedding day at 24. I spent seven years almost totally housebound.”
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Jill and Jagger with Paul O'Grady at the Pride of Britain awards (Daily Mirror)Guide Dogs has been left struggling with a backlog after Covid hit breeding programmes and puppies were unable to be trained during lockdown.
Pete Osborne, chief operations officer, also faces being without a dog when his companion Nyle retires. He told the Mirror: “The pandemic dealt us a significant blow. We had to suspend our breeding programme.
“And puppies as they were developing just didn’t get all the experiences that people would expect them to get.
“Puppies need to learn to deal with a host of environments, particularly crowds, which just didn’t exist.
“You couldn’t take them into restaurants or to busy places. A lot of training was delayed and staff training was too.”
Mr Osborne said Guide Dogs aim to create 500 new partnerships this year and eventually 1,000 a year.
Guide Dogs is appealing for more help to socialise puppies.
* To volunteer, visit www.guidedogs.org.uk/how-you-can-help/volunteering-for-guide-dogs/