Tomorrow we take delivery of a retired guide dog. She's a 12-year-old labrador bitch. We've had labradors most of our lives, but we've never had a retired guide dog. Any tips?

Good luck with your new girl. She'll be fine, Guide Dogs are very adaptable & are used to lots of different environments, so you'll probably find that she'll walk in & settle straight away - as if she's been there all her life.
Like any lab, food & a cuddle & you'll be her best friend.

Best Wishes. :)

Hi,
we had a retired guide dog a few years ago, she was an absolute joy to own. You will probably find that she does not treat you any differently, most guide dogs are quite smart and have usually had alot of experience with sighted people all their lives, Hayley never tried to guide us, she was just a really well behaved girl, lots of people were envious of our training methods. You might find they do not run free far from your side, simply because they have never strayed far from their blind owners, I always remeber how great it was once we realised Hayley had the confidence to run free. I wish you all the best with your new pal, and watch out, just because they have been guide dogs does not mean they are any different from your other labs, watch out food thief about.

Well done thats a great thing to do very best of luck :-)

just a quicky, how do you find out about owning a rtired guide dog

Contact your local Guide Dogs office. If you're in the UK, see http://www.gdba.org.uk/index.cfm or phone The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association on 0870 600 2323.

Fantastic ! :) I am sure she will settle in ! I am picking up a 10 yr Lab on Saturday !! Oldies can give you so much ! Enjoy her :)

Lucy

Well, she arrived this morning. She's a Lab/Golden cross and worked every day for almost 10 years until Feb of this year when her owner was taken ill. He died last month and the dog was taken back by the Guide Dog Foundation and now she'll spend her last years with us.
She's just as I imagined a retired guide dog to be - very calm, very quiet. Our old lab greeted her with his favourite toy but she wasn't in a mood for playing - preferred to sniff all around the house and garden to get her bearings.
Here in Spain guide dogs usually work until they're about 9. I understand in the UK they usually retire them around 7, which seems very young to me.

hi, glad your girl has settled. Guide Dogs in the UK usually work until they are 9 or 10 sometimes older if they are happy working. A lot depends on their workload. Enjoy your new girl.

My mum has just had a distressing experience with a young dog that has had to be returned to the Rescue Centre - I never thought about a retired guide dog and as labs are her preferred breed I may gently introduce the idea to her. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

CG

Be warned, the GDBA have extremely long waiting lists for their retirees/rejects!

Yes Guide Dogs do have long waiting lists for rejects / retired working dogs. But are often looking for temporary homes for dogs. (Usually holiday boarding) There is a detailed vetting process initially. But it's worth it. Guide Dogs are also always looking for people to look after their Brood Bitches, who all live in family homes. :) (There are certain criterea which must be met, one of which is to live near the Breeding Centre)