Poodle graduates as guide dog

Five-year-old Nathan has become one of only three Standard Poodles to work as a guide dog in Britain.

Nathan is now working as a companion to Angela Cameron, 43, in Carlisle. Angela told the Daily Mirror that she was surprised when she was offered a poodle.

“I imagined a tiny fluffy thing, but Nathan is such a character, although it takes me hours to walk a few yards as people stop me to ask about him.”

Most guide dogs are either Labradors, Retrievers or German Shepherds, although the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association do experiment with other breeds and have successfully trained other large breeds such as the Leonberger.

Chris Dyson, spokesperson for the Association said: “We are delighted with Nathan.”

“He is quite unusual and an exception to the rule, but from time to time we do experiment with other breeds.”