April is National Pet Month, so we'd like to celebrate the Pets at Home shoppers who have been helping our dogs in training by supporting us through the VIP Club loyalty scheme.

By selecting Guide Dogs as their chosen charity and using their VIP card when buying essentials for their own 'VIP' pets, shoppers have been earning ‘Lifelines’ vouchers for us - at no additional cost to them! Our teams use these vouchers to buy enrichment toys, treats, bedding and other items to help care for and train our future life-changing dogs!

Here are some of the ways the vouchers help…

Our Hull Community Team said: “The vouchers allow us to buy toys to ensure our dogs are entertained and mentally stimulated during their downtime. The beds we’ve purchased give them comfortable spaces to relax in after their training, which benefits their latent learning and progress in becoming a guide dog.”

Our Forfar Regional Centre in Scotland said: “We purchase high-value treats that trainers use for training the dogs when their kibble is not motivating enough. The dogs usually receive a Kong filled with their frozen kibble when they arrive in the morning. The dogs love this - it gives them a good association with coming to kennels.”

Our Puppy Team said: “We’ve purchased fabric crates to transport solo puppies, making the journey less daunting than sitting in the crate at the back of the van on their own. We also buy items for puppy placement packs and puppy classes. This makes a big difference to the experience we can offer our volunteers.”

Howard Jones, our Regional Academy Manager, said: “We’ve been able to buy enrichment toys, which especially helps for dogs who need limited exercise due to illness or injury. They are invaluable for keeping our dogs entertained, stimulated and occupied.”

To support us through the Pets at Home VIP Club, visit vip.petsathome.com

Find out how you can support Guide Dogs through our partners