MEET the labrador that travelled over 8,000 miles to Worcestershire from Japan to learn how to become a guide dog.

Yukiko, a fifteen-month-old labrador, travelled to Upton-upon-Severn all the way from Japan, to start her guide dog training with sight loss charity Guide Dogs.

She moved to live with her Guide Dogs’ volunteer puppy raiser, Sue, who lives in Upton-upon-Severn, when she was 20-weeks old.

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Sue said: “I became a volunteer Puppy Raiser for Guide Dogs almost a year ago and Yukiko was the first guide dog puppy placed with me.

“I did think I might have to learn Japanese, but thankfully Yukiko understood commands in English.

"When she first arrived, she would just sit and look at you. We taught her how to play and interact with other dogs and she’s just blossomed from there."

She’s been so easy to look after - she doesn’t pull on the lead and she’s excellent at coming back when called.

She is an absolute charmer and just loves meeting people – she’d rather see people than dogs. She really is the most delightful dog.”

In the coming weeks, Yukiko will leave Sue and start her formal guide dog training at a Guide Dogs training centre.

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Most dogs qualify as working guide dogs by the age of two, but others go on to have alternative careers, including supporting children with a vision impairment.

Yukiko was one of four pups to make the journey from Japan, as part of the charity’s international collaboration programme.

Tom Lewis, head of the breeding programme at Guide Dogs, said: “Exchanging dogs with partner guide dog schools in other countries is an important way to help preserve genetic diversity in our breeding programme and, when we do exchange dogs, their health and wellbeing is paramount.

“We were delighted to welcome four puppies from Japan as part of our long-standing collaboration with Japan Guide Dog Association.

“Yukiko didn’t quite make the grade to become a breeding dog, but we are excited to see her progressing well and about to enter training and hope she will make an excellent guide dog.”

The puppy raiser role involves supporting puppies for the first 12-16 months of their lives before they begin their specialised guide dog training.  

To find out more, contact volunteering coordinator Charlotte Hawthorne at volunteermidlands@guidedogs.org.uk or call 0800 781 1444.