June Update: Keeping Cool with Ulani

Hello everyone,

I hope you're all keeping well and managing to stay cool during this recent hot weather. It's certainly been a challenge, hasn't it? I'm definitely someone who prefers more moderate temperatures—the blazing sunshine isn't really for me! Ulani agrees too. She really feels the heat, so we've been making sure to keep her comfortable and follow all the advice on caring for dogs during periods of high temperatures.

The past month has been a fairly quiet one, largely because of the heat. We've spent much more time indoors, shortened Ulani's walks, and headed out early in the mornings before the temperatures began to climb. She's been enjoying plenty of training sessions in the garden, and we let her out regularly throughout the day to stretch her legs and have a good sniff around.

One thing that always makes me smile is Ulani's fascination with flowers. The very first photograph we received from the family who lovingly raised the litter during their first eight weeks showed Ulani sitting on the lawn with a bright orange flower in her mouth. Looking back, it almost seems as though that photo predicted one of her sweetest little quirks! She absolutely loves sniffing flowers and, if given the chance, delicately plucking off the flower heads. It does mean I have to keep a watchful eye whenever she's in the garden—my roses are never completely safe!

We also enjoyed two short trips to the beautiful Cotswolds, which gave us the perfect opportunity to see how Ulani coped with travelling in the car, exploring new places, and meeting unfamiliar people. We're delighted to say she handled everything brilliantly. She's naturally curious and seems to genuinely enjoy discovering new environments.

One of the things we're most proud of is her calm and gentle interest in other animals. Rather than trying to chase squirrels or pigeons, she simply watches them with quiet curiosity. A strong chase instinct can be a real challenge for some dogs, so this is something Guide Dogs Puppy Raisers work carefully to manage from an early age. It's essential that a future Guide Dog remains calm and focused while working, without lunging or chasing wildlife when partnered with their visually impaired owner.

The hot weather also brought my portrait work to a temporary halt. My little studio gets incredibly warm, so during the hottest days I decided to down tools and give the pencils a rest. Thankfully, I'm now almost at the finish line with Junior's portrait. It's been quite a challenging one to draw, thanks to all those beautiful blonde curls! Capturing the texture and movement of curly fur takes a great deal of patience, but I'm really pleased with how it's coming together. I've been sharing regular work-in-progress photos over on my social media pages, so if you've been following along, you'll know it's nearly complete now.

Since it was simply too hot to draw for long periods, I swapped my coloured pencils for a crochet hook instead. I've been crocheting blankets for the wonderful charity Sands, which supports anyone affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby before, during or shortly after birth. It's a cause that's very close to many people's hearts, and I always find it rewarding to spend time creating something that can offer comfort during such a difficult time. If you'd like to find out more about the incredible work Sands does, please visit https://www.sands.org.uk.

Tomorrow, Ulani turns 11 months old. It's hard to believe she's been part of our family for nine months already, and we've now passed the halfway point of our journey as Puppy Raisers. She has become such a huge part of our everyday lives that it's difficult to

imagine the day we'll eventually have to say goodbye as she moves on to her formal training.

For now, though, we're simply enjoying every moment with her and couldn't be prouder of the wonderful young dog she's becoming. We truly hope she'll go on to achieve amazing things as a future Guide Dog, helping someone gain greater independence and confidence every single day.

Thank you, as always, for following along with our journey. I hope you're enjoying the summer, keeping cool, and I'll be back next month with another update on Ulani's adventures—and, hopefully, the completed portrait of Junior!

Nicola x