Guide dog puppies follow Sally's lead

SHAKESPEARE’S Puppies Appeal is set to name one of its new puppies thanks to a £4,670 fundraising donation by the charitable foundation of local law firm Lodders.

Lodders Charitable Foundation raised the £4,670 through donations and a busy programme of activities, with the majority coming from its first annual Charity Dog Walk in Henley in July, which raised almost £3,000.

The event was held in memory of Sally Badger, a client of Lodders and a crucial member of the Shakespeare’s Puppies Team.

Sally was well known in the community. She was partially sighted through much of her short life and benefitted from two Shakespeare’s Puppies during her lifetime, always saying that her guide dogs transformed her life. She died on Monday, 1st May, aged 38.

Shakespeare’s Puppies Appeal and the Badger family raised the necessary £5,000 which has enabled them to name a guide dog puppy ‘Sally’ in her honour.

In fact, the donations total exceeded the target, and, alongside the £4,670 raised extra funding will now go towards naming another puppy ‘Badger’.

Badger will join Sally in undergoing full training with Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Puppy Sally, who is 15 weeks old, 9-month old Labrador William, and Jackie Horton, Jenny Parker and Suzanne Beechey from Shakespeare’s Puppies Appeal, last week met with members of Lodders Charitable Foundation, who presented them with a certificate to officially mark the fundraising total and donation.