Puppy love: Stratford-upon-Avon care home laps up guide-dog visit

Company news

Oct 30, 2019

A care home in Stratford-upon-Avon had a paw-some visit to a local guide dog training centre. Residents at Care UK’s Ambleside were recently reunited with familiar furry friends, after spending an afternoon at the Guide Dogs for the Blind training centre in Leamington Spa.

The care home, on Evesham Road, has enjoyed weekly visits from the guide dog puppies and their walkers, as part of the dogs’ socialization training. After one of the residents expressed a wish to once again see the dogs in training, the team at Ambleside set about making it happen. 

Residents and team members were treated to a tour of the training centre and enjoyed the opportunity to see the puppies in action, before making a donation to enable the work of the training centre to continue. It was a wonderful opportunity for reminiscence too, with everyone sharing memories of their pets. 

Home manager, Julia Joy, said: “The residents really enjoyed their visit to the Guide Dogs for the Blind training centre and watching the puppies train. It was wonderful to see the smiles on everyone’s faces; the visit created a lot of excitement among the residents and Care UK team.

“Being in the company of animals has proven therapeutic benefits, particularly for those living with dementia, as it can reduce anxiety, release calming endorphins, and decrease feelings of loneliness. You could see from the residents’ reactions just how engaged they were when given the opportunity to be in the company of the puppies once again.”

Ambleside is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, nursing and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. Designed to enable residents to live enjoyable and fulfilling lives, the care home has its very own cinema, coffee shop and hair salon, with plenty of space both indoors and out for relaxation and recreation.

For more information about Ambleside, please call 01789 868 298, or email Francesca Brennan, customer relations manager, on francesca.brennan@careuk.com

For more general information visit: careuk.com/ambleside