Gorgeous red-fox Labrador enjoys festive season before training to be a support dog

A beautiful fox-red Labrador puppy is training to become a life-transforming support dog, helping a child with autism or an adult with epilepsy or another serious medical condition to lead a safer, more independent life.
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Pup Peggy is being trained by Sheffield-based national charity Support Dogs and is currently looked after by dog-loving volunteer puppy socialisers Zoe Helm and Daniel Lewis, who live near Castleford.

Zoe said: "Peggy is doing really well with her training, and absolutely loves learning new tasks but she’s still very much a puppy, she’s still quite cheeky, and she delivers a sock to my desk every morning – I don’t know where she finds them!”

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Property investor Zoe has always been a huge dog lover, and she and partner Dan already had their own pet dog Dylan, a Border/Lakeland Terrier cross, when they decided to get a second pooch.

Peggy the red-fox Labrador puppy is in training to become a support worker for children with autism or other additional needs.Peggy the red-fox Labrador puppy is in training to become a support worker for children with autism or other additional needs.
Peggy the red-fox Labrador puppy is in training to become a support worker for children with autism or other additional needs.

Rather than get another pet they discovered Support Dogs were looking for puppy socialisers – volunteers who care for its puppies until they are old enough to start their proper training at ‘Big School’ at the charity’s training centre in Brightside at the age of 15 months.

Peggy, who has been with the couple since the summer, has settled in well and gets on famously with Dylan.

Zoe said: “She sits there every morning, and he cleans her ears - we call her Princess Pegs.”

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As part of her early basic training, Peggy has visited IKEA, various shops, stores and supermarkets, and joins Zoe and Dan in the pub, learning how to behave in public.

She also attends puppy classes and workshops where she has been taught how to nudge, pull, touch and retrieve items.

Puppy coordinator at Support Dogs Karlie Taylor said: “Peggy is a lovely puppy, who absolutely loves learning, she’s very sociable with other dogs and affectionate with kids.

"She’s a great all-rounder and has the attributes for all our three training programmes - autism, epilepsy seizure alert or disability. She’s got a great future.”

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Zoe said she would unhesitatingly recommend volunteering as a Support Dogs’ puppy socialise to anyone who loves dogs.

She said: “It’s opened up a lot of windows for me – I hadn’t been outside much because of lockdown but when we got Peggy we went out and about a lot more and made friends with other puppy socialisers in the area. It’s been a very positive experience.”

The only downside will be having to say goodbye to Peggy in the summer next year when she moves into the next stage of her training.

Zoe said: “I’m going to be heartbroken when she leaves, but that’s the way it goes.

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“When I watch the videos or read the stories of how these dogs change people’s lives it made me think: ‘how amazing she is going to be and that I have been a part of changing someone’s life.’”

Support Dogs is a national charity based in Sheffield which trains assistance dogs for adults and children with autism, epilepsy and a variety of medical conditions including cerebral palsy and MS.

The charity is looking for more people to become volunteer puppy socialisers. Find out more on its website: Volunteering with our dogs | Support Dogs