Puppy Power for Napier Management Services

BOURNEMOUTH, U.K. - March 15, 2018 - PRLog -- NAPIER Management Services Ltd not only continue to invest in the development and nurture of their staff, but they are also investing in puppy power!

Did you know that every hour, another person in the UK goes blind?  A shocking statistic indeed.

Almost two million people in the UK are currently living with sight loss and by 2050 there could be nearly four million.

These statistics prompted South Coast based Napier Management Services, a well-respected block management company, to look into sponsoring a guide dog.

Aileen Lacey-Payne, Director of Napier, said: "Guide Dogs for the Blind rely on donations to continue their life-changing work. Every pound raised makes a difference to people in the UK living with sight loss.  I discussed us becoming involved with my staff, who were all keen for us to sponsor a puppy.

"After making initial enquiries and a small financial commitment each month, we were introduced to Lexi as a pup and she is now nearing the end of her training. This is the third guide dog Napier have sponsored.

The timetable from birth to changing the life of a person who is blind or partially sighted, is a relativey short one.

From 0 to 6 weeks - The tiny puppy is living with its mum and siblings in a Guide Dogs volunteer's home. As well as playing, exploring and napping, the puppy will go to the state of the art breeding centre at six weeks for health checks and immunisations.

Between 6 weeks and 4 months the puppy is rehomed to its dedicated Puppy Walker's home where the dog will start learning good manners and basic commands, such as 'sit' and 'down' and will get used to interacting with people and other animals.

At 14 to 17 months it's time for guide dog training school. A professional guide dog trainer will introduce the puppy to a special brown training harness.

When the puppy is 20 months old, a Guide Dog Mobility Instructor will pull all the puppy's training together, so that it learns to use guiding skills in everyday situations. They will also start the process of finding a person with sight loss whose personality and lifestyle is just right for the puppy.

Once the puppy has reached 20 to 22 months he/she becomes a fully trained guide dog and will meet the person with whom he/she has been matched.

Lexi's puppy walker and carer, Barbara, said: "It's not long at all now until Lexi heads off to early training and I think she's ready for it. Lexi's matured so much over the time I've had her and honestly, she's a total delight.

Lexi's a real pleasure to walk, she never pulls and she always walks in a straight line (which, surprisingly, some pups take quite a while to get the hang of). She is great with ignoring distractions such as cats, birds and food smells when we're out too! Lexi's definitely becoming more confident as well. For example, in shopping malls, I'm delighted to say that the crowds, glass lifts and open stairs are no problem at all for this calm girl.

Lexi's doing really well with her guide dog skills too; she's learning to find empty chairs, doors and lifts now, and she has conquered her fear of puddles! I can ask her to do anything and she just gets on with it, which is brilliant.

"I recently took Lexi to ITV studios to see her celebrity sister Luna, and she was a real star! It was her first time in a London taxi and she behaved wonderfully. It is so lovely how much she loves her sister - Luna is still the only dog on TV that Lexi wags her tail at!"

Aileen added; "We all look forward to receiving Lexi's regular 'Pup-dates' on her progress and it is a wonderful journey for all our team to experience together."

Napier are very proud of their ongoing training programme for their two legged staff which ensures they are fully equipped to deal with all the management issues they face day to day with some of their big blocks of flats.

Napier has offices in Bournemouth, the New Forest and Southampton.  For more information on the comprehensive services they offer, contact their friendly staff on 02380 337883/01202 314511/01425 650656  or visit their website http://www.napiermanagement.co.uk


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