These ‘ruff and ready’ would-be guide dogs were put through their paces - with the help of Britain's best special forces officers.<br /><br />Ollie Ollerton from 'SAS: Who Dares Wins' put the latest round of doggy recruits through their paces near the Guide Dogs National Centre in Leamington Spa.<br /><br />The former UK special forces solider said: "I’m here to see if they’ve got what it takes.<br /><br />“It’s not for the faint-hearted, and this boot camp will prove if any of the recruits are barking up the wrong tree.”<br /><br />The fun trial run was set up to raise awareness of Guide Dogs' Sponsor a Puppy campaign [www.guidedogs.org.uk/puppy] and included Fern, a new sponsor puppy who is just starting her journey to becoming a guide dog. <br /><br />Alongside Fern in the ranks were her two sisters Anne and Charley, and four brothers Yoro, Utah, Ben and Frankie. <br /><br />The new draft performed to the best of their abilities as they slalomed their way through an obstacle course. <br /><br />They were encouraged by Ollie to scale barriers, navigate around cones, and travel through a tunnel as part of their fun run – all with varying degrees of success.<br /><br />He rallied the troops and kept discipline among the six-week-old yellow Labrador puppies, which capped off a fine performance with a sprint finish, all under the watchful eye of their mum, Sylvia. <br /><br />There was room for improvement from the new sign-ups, with a few struggling to keep their focus on the task in hand as Ollie was mobbed by the pups, who turned on their sergeant and began licking his face. <br /><br />Ollie said: “I’m very passionate about the work they [Guide Dogs] do and it’s my job and my mission to get much-needed donations to the charity.<br /><br />“One of the ways you can help is by sponsoring a guide dog puppy. I’ve been sponsoring a puppy for probably the last three years and it’s one of the most amazing things you can do.”<br /><br />Tim Stafford, director of canine affairs for Guide Dogs, said: "We’re proud of our new recruits, and we know their mum Sylvia and dad Hartmann will be too.<br /><br />“It's absolutely fantastic that Ollie came out to meet some of our puppies and put them through their paces.<br /><br />“I'm not sure the pups will be putting their SAS training to use as guide dogs, but they had a fantastic time nevertheless.<br /><br />“The Sponsor a Puppy campaign funds other new recruits, letting them rise through the ranks to give them a shot of becoming a true leader themselves.”
