Ahead of Dog Friendly Day Ireland, the winner of Travel Counsellors’ ‘Name Our TC Puppy’ competition, nine year-old Sam Lawlor, got the chance to meet Travel Counsellors’ sponsored Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind puppy, Reuben. Sam, along with his mother, Kildare based Travel Counsellor Gail Buckley, and brother, Ben Lawlor (15), met 8 week old Reuben at Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind headquarters in Cork.

Travel Counsellors, who have partnered with national charity Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, have committed to sponsoring the vital first year of training for the new puppy. The sponsorship is part of Travel Counsellors’ commitment to making travel more widely accessible, regardless of ability. This includes accessibility travel training for Travel Counsellors around Ireland. A ‘Name Our TC Puppy’ competition took place for families of Travel Counsellors, with the ask for suggested ‘R’ names. The winning name, Reuben was chosen by Sam Lawlor. This week, Reuben completed his puppy evaluation, which assesses the puppy’s character before he goes onto his next phase of training – puppy raising.

General Manager at Travel Counsellors Ireland, Cathy Burke said: “We are delighted to see our sponsored puppy, Reuben, right on track in his first year of training. This is a very exciting journey to follow and one of utmost importance as Reuben will one day help to improve mobility and increase independence of his future owner, ultimately changing this person’s life.”

Travel Counsellors across Ireland will be raising funds throughout the year to support the puppy during his first year of training. Fundraising events planned include a group climb by Travel Counsellors and their families up Galtymore, which will be led by Cork-based Travel Counsellor and mountaineer Niamh Quinlan on 24 August. Other fundraising events planned by individual Travel Counsellors in the coming months include a fashion show, an Iron Man and cake sales. Additionally, the company will also match amounts raised by Travel Counsellors.