Pups to Partnerships

Have you ever wondered how a puppy becomes a guide dog? It’s a journey that takes time, skill and dedication. From a playful pup to becoming a powerful partner for a person with sight loss, our puppies have a lasting impact on everyone they meet.

In this documentary, you’ll meet the dedicated volunteers who open their homes and hearts to care for our young puppies. You’ll learn how our expert trainers build our pups’ skills so they can succeed at Guide Dog School. And you’ll meet the people whose lives have been transformed by their guide dog partnership.

About the Pups to Partnerships documentary

Pups to Partnerships: A Guide Dogs Documentary is a heart-warming feature-length programme that shines a light on each important stage of the guide dog training journey. From fluffy young pups learning about the world to expert training and mastering specialist skills to being matched as a partner for someone with sight loss and starting their new lives together.

Produced by Guide Dogs, the documentary features exclusive interviews and never-before-seen footage, as you watch our pups grow and embark on their journey to become life changers.

The documentary was released on 5 October 2024 to mark the start of the Guide Dogs Puppy Appeal, which also celebrates the anniversary of our charity’s first four guide dog partnerships created in October 1931.

The series that inspired our documentary

The Pups to Partnerships feature-length documentary is inspired by our 2022 series: The Journey of a Guide Dog. The ten-part series follows the journey of our guide dogs from birth to retirement.

The series begins with an insight into the science behind our world-class breeding programme and follows the journey of our life-changing guide dogs, including what happens to our dogs who go on to have alternative careers and ending with the emotions of guide dog retirement following a successful working partnership.