Annie's Naming Story

The gift of a name

Puppy Annie was named by the Hillary Hikers, a group of friends who came together and set themselves the challenge of trekking to Everest Base Camp, while fundraising for Guide Dogs, a charity close to their hearts.

Fundraising activity

The Hillary Hikers set up an online fundraising page to raise sponsorship and to their surprise very quickly surpassed their initial £10,000 fundraising target. The group had a Mascot which they named Hillary, after Everest Explorer Sir Edmund Hillary. The mascot took form of a guide dog soft toy, and was used to promote their fundraising and even accompanied the group on their trek. Incredibly the group’s continued fundraising efforts has resulted in 7 named guide dog puppies!

The story behind the name

Sadly, the group suffered the loss of some loved ones in the run up to their expedition. Annie’s name was chosen as a fitting tribute to a group member’s mother, who unfortunately passed away before their trek. Four of the groups seven puppies were named in memory of loved ones.

In their own words

Guide Dogs Fun Fact

Did you know that we have a wide range of different breeds and cross breeds? It’s a common misconception that all guide dogs are Labradors.

Here is a rough break down of our dogs;

• 55% of our dogs are crosses (generally Golden Retriever and Labrador)
• 28% of our dogs are Labradors
• 11% of our dogs are Golden Retrievers
• 4% of our dogs are German Shepherds
• 2% of our dogs are other breeds such as Poodle and Curly Coat Retriever Crosses