Former Love Island finalist and Guide Dogs Campaign Star, Faye Winter, had an emotional meeting with the guide dog puppy she’s donated money to name, as part of the charity’s Name a Puppy Scheme.

Guide Dogs released a heart-warming video of the meeting, which has Faye in tears, to mark National Puppy Day on 23 March.

Faye went to visit golden retriever puppy Winter at his puppy raiser’s home in London. Rob Lyon, 75, is a first-time puppy raiser and is thrilled to be caring for such a special pup.

Rob said: “I wasn’t too sure about the name when I first heard it, but Winter is very used to it now. He’s a wonderful puppy and very quick to learn so I really hope he does Faye proud and goes on to become an amazing guide dog.”

Guide Dogs’ Name a Puppy scheme provides people with the wonderful opportunity to be at the heart of a guide dog puppy's story. As well as providing a puppy with the special gift of a name, they’ll follow their journey as they aspire to become a future life-changer. It’s an incredible fundraising achievement to be proud of!

Faye said: “To know that puppy Winter, who has my name, is hopefully going to go on to be a little life-changer for someone with sight loss is just overwhelming. It really is my greatest achievement and makes me so proud to be a part of this wonderful charity.”

Sal Chapman, National Name a Puppy Product Manager said: “Every puppy named through Name a Puppy will help us reach the needs of more people living with sight loss. Name a Puppy is an opportunity to give a guide dog puppy something truly unique: their name. A pup’s name gives them an identity. It will be the single most important word that they’ll learn, as it’s a signal to them that says, ‘the next message is for you!’”

People who want to raise funds to name a puppy, like Faye, can choose from four different naming levels starting from just £2,500; the levels are called Name, Raise, Train and Transform. Each one follows the puppy named on their unique journey, gaining insights into the world of guide dogs through regular pupdates. You can even meet the puppy virtually or in person, depending on how much you raise.

People can name a puppy by themselves, with a group of friends as a celebration or in memory of a loved one. People could name a puppy as part of a workplace challenge and sporting and social groups are all welcome – as are schools and youth groups!

For someone living with sight loss, guide dogs are truly life-changing. They give hope, confidence, joy, independence, freedom and companionship – to list just a few of the words that have been used to describe what these wonderful dogs can provide!

Follow this link to watch the video of Faye meeting puppy Winter.

Follow this link to watch the accessible version of this video.