Guide dog named after Mary Clark

A community effort has helped raise £5,000 to sponsor a puppy in memory of a Boston woman.
Mary Clark pictured with her previous guide dog Usher.Mary Clark pictured with her previous guide dog Usher.
Mary Clark pictured with her previous guide dog Usher.

Mary Clark sadly died in 2015. She had six guide dogs during her life, after being born with a hereditary eye condition which resulted in blindness.

Through the Boston Guide Dogs group, Mary and her husband Alf Clark raised more than £35,000 for Guide Dogs.

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To honour his late wife, Alf, 72, decided to sponsor a puppy through Guide Dogs, and has called her Mary.

Guide dog puppy Mary, named after Mary Clark.Guide dog puppy Mary, named after Mary Clark.
Guide dog puppy Mary, named after Mary Clark.

Alf said: “All puppies are cute, but ours is quite special.”

Donations came from Mary’s funeral; Fishtoft Parish Council, of which Mary was a member; Wrangle Primary School; and a coffee morning held by the Spalding branch of Guide Dogs. Staff from Elwood Brigg and Turner Vets, in Kirton, also ran the Boston half marathon last year for the cause.

Alf said: “Thank you so much to everyone who has helped make this happen.”

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Kelly Hodson from Guide Dogs said: “She (Mary) was a fantastic ambassador to the charity and now her legacy will live on with puppy Mary.”

Guide dog puppy Mary, named after Mary Clark.Guide dog puppy Mary, named after Mary Clark.
Guide dog puppy Mary, named after Mary Clark.

Over the next 12 months Mary will be undertaking her first stage of training with a volunteer puppy walker.

One day she will become a working guide dog.

Kelly Hodson said: “A guide dog brings confidence, mobility and companionship. Mary will truly change a life.”

Currently there are about 180,000 blind and partially sighted people living in the UK who find it difficult to leave home on their own.

For more on Guide Dogs, visit www.guidedogs.org.uk

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