Puppy’s guiding lights

Parents Paul and Helen, children Scott (20) and Zoe (17) and pet dog Bam, welcomed labrador Violet to their family in May.

‘We became puppy raisers for many reasons: Helen has vast experience working with children with special educational needs and as a family we had been talking about how we could do something a little ‘different’ for others,’ Mr Mitchell said.

‘We saw an article about puppy raising, did some research, knew we were dog lovers and here we are.’

Mr Mitchell said raising Violet, now five-and-a-half-months-old, was ‘like having a child again’.

She will stay with them until she is about 18 months to two-years-old and he said although the whole family was already very attached to her, they knew she had a greater purpose.

‘We’re not doing it to have a dog as a pet’