A family is urging more members of the Asian community to help walk guide dogs and make a huge difference to people’s lives.

Ramesh, Bhawna and Serena Patel have been helping the charity ‘Guide Dogs’ as volunteer puppy walkers since 2015.

The family currently walk Milo a Golden Retriever cross Labrador.

With over two million people living with sight loss in the UK support from Puppy Walkers is essential in helping the charity to achieve their purpose.

Bhawna Patel said, “My family and I are keen to remove any misconceptions of how individuals feel about dogs in training when seen in public places.

“We also want to encourage more people from within the Asian community to learn about the work that guide dogs undergo, and just how crucial their work is in bringing independence and mobility into the lives of people living with sight loss”.

It is estimated that in the UK currently over 60,000 people within the Asian community are living with partial or full visual impairment but only around 30 people from the same community are assisted by having a working guide dog.

This is a number that the Patel’s are keen to change and they would like to see more people living with sight loss from the community apply to become Guide Dog Owners.

As volunteer puppy walkers Ramesh, Bhawna and Serena receive a puppy at just seven weeks of age and the pup then lives with them full time until the pup is approximately 12 – 14 months of age.

From here, their pup will progress to undergo the specialist training required to qualify as a working guide dog in the UK.

A typical day in their lives as puppy walkers includes walking, command training and socialising in public places: from supermarkets to public transport.

Puppy Training Supervisor Karyn McCarthy said, “Working together as a family, the Patel’s have taken the challenge of becoming Puppy Walkers with enthusiasm, fun and tremendous commitment.

“Having never owned a dog before, they certainly took the plunge.

“They are an amazing family who are having so much fun discovering just what it takes to raise a Guide Dog from a young puppy.

“Not only are they much valued and needed Puppy Walking volunteers but they are also remarkable ambassadors for Guide Dogs within their community.

“Their efforts and influences we hope will inspire a growth of interest in our work.

“We are looking forward to an exciting future as Serena and Milo succeed in persuading more volunteers to overcome their own obstacles and join us in providing independence and freedom to more blind and partially sighted people”.

To find out more you can call 0345 143 0191.