As the event’s charity partner, Guide Dogs will showcase three of its puppy recruits at the sixth annual outdoor art exhibition.

Guide Dogs is providing the 3000 expected visitors to the gardens of Rosby vineyard with an opportunity to meet the next generation of  Guide Dogs.

The eight-week-old labradors will give the public a behind-the-scenes look into the first stages of the puppy- to-Guide-Dog journey.

On Sunday,  October 9, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Puppy Breeding & Raising Manager, Karen Hayter, will speak about the training each dog will undertake and how the public can help them get to the all-important working stage of their life.  

“It costs more than $35,000 and takes over two years to transform a playful puppy into a responsible working dog, whose job it is to safely guide someone who is blind or vision impaired from one destination to another, such as from home to work,” Ms Hayter said.

“As each Guide Dog is provided at no cost to the person, we rely on the generosity of the community to fund the breeding, raising and training costs,” she said.

The Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Mudgee Support Group will also be assisting throughout the two days running the gate and providing catering for the event.

All proceeds from gate entry and catering will go towards helping the organisation continue to provide services to people who are blind or vision impaired at no cost, so that they can lead active and independent lives.

Guide Dogs' Acting General Manager Fundraising, Natalie Moses, thanked the Mudgee Support Group and the Sculptures in the Garden exhibition for their ongoing support of Guide Dogs.

“With the demand for Guide Dogs increasing due to growing numbers of people having trouble getting around due to vision loss, we’re incredibly grateful for the support we receive from the Sculptures in the Garden exhibition,” Ms Moses said.

Every day, 28 Australians are diagnosed with uncorrectable vision loss, including nine who become blind.