Nursing home knits blankets for guide dog puppies

The blankets contains the scent of the pup's mother to help reduce anxiety

Residents at a care home have been knitting blankets to help guide dog puppies adjust to their new homes.

The group at the Royal Leamington Spa nursing home take part in a knitting club twice a week, which is run by carer Elaine Eyles.

After receiving a visit from Abi, a guide dog pup, the volunteers decided to turn their creations into a comfort for the next generation of guide dogs.

Ms Eyles told BBC CWR: "They love it, it gives them something to do, we reminisce about childhood games that we played, it's good fun."

A group of about five volunteers get together to knit the blankets

At the age of six weeks old, the pups leave their breeding centres to live with a puppy raiser armed with a puppy pack, which contains a blanket with their mother's scent.

It is thought the blankets help ease their transitions into their new lives.

Jill, a puppy raiser for the Guide Dogs charity, looks after Abi.

She said: "For the first few days, it helps them settle as they are in a strange environment on their own sleeping at night instead of with a nice warm cuddly litter.

"It's where they struggle and have the most anxiety. Because they have the scent on the blanket, it makes them a bit calmer."

• Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds