TV STAR David Walliams met his special namesake as Guide Dogs celebrated a landmark puppy.
Yellow Labrador David was the 10,000th pup born since the opening of the charity’s National Breeding Centre at Bishop’s Tachbrook and he has been named after the comedian, actor, author, and presenter.
The ten-week-old pup paid the Britain’s Got Talent judge a visit at his north London home and the pair got on famously.
David said: “It’s a huge thrill to have a guide dog puppy named David after me, I’m just sorry I don’t have a more memorable name.
“Guide Dogs is one of the first charities you hear about as a child and it’s such a trusted charity. It’s such a miracle that these dogs can be so helpful and change someone’s life in such a dramatic way.
“I think my dog Bert will be quite jealous. He must never see these pictures.
“Guide Dogs is an amazing charity and I have huge respect for the people who train the dogs. If you ever meet Simon Cowell’s dogs, you know that some people don’t bother to train their dogs at all.”
Matthew Bottomley, Guide Dogs’ head of breeding operations, was pleased to introduce David to David.
“We know David is a dog lover, and as an author he has supported our large print books for children with sight loss, so we felt he would be the perfect namesake for our 10,000th puppy. Our puppies change lives and David’s charity work and his writing does too, so it’s a perfect match.”
Puppy David will now go on to complete around 20 months of specialised training before being partnered with someone who has sight loss.
The breeding centre, which opened in 2011, runs public tours. Visit guidedogs.org.uk/tours or call 345 1430216 for further details.
