A group of Guide Dog puppies visited The Belgrade Theatre on Friday 29 November, as part of their important training. 5 guide dog puppies were invited to explore the theatre, and meet the cast of the 2024 Belgrade pantomime, Dick Whittington. The puppies were also given access to the auditorium and stage, where they were shown lighting and played sound effects from the show. Each puppy was accompanied by their volunteer Puppy Raiser, who looks after them until they are just over a year old, before they move to a Guide Dogs’ centre to start their formal training. Volunteer Puppy Raisers for charity Guide Dogs provide puppies with vital foundations for their future role, teaching them basic commands and helping them get used to different environments. 

For more information on how you can support Guide Dogs UK, go to: www.guidedogs.org.uk 

Puppy Raising Operations Manager for Guide Dogs, Anna Standing said: “We’d like to say a big thank you to The Belgrade Theatre and to the cast of Dick Whittington, for supporting us with this training session. As our puppies grow and develop, it’s really important that they are exposed to different sights and sounds, so they grow up to become happy and confident guide dogs. Exploring the theatre and meeting the cast in costume provided a fantastic, sensory experience for our puppies and gave them an opportunity to get used to a theatre environment.” 

The Belgrade Theatre team said: “We were absolutely delighted to welcome Guide Dogs UK's five adorable puppies to the theatre! It was a joy to have them onstage with our Dick Whittington cast and it is a real pleasure to be supporting such a wonderful charity.” 

Tickets for Dick Whittington are available at www.belgrade.co.uk and from the Belgrade box office  
Tel: 024 7655 3055.