Pierre the Heir, a golden retriever, has fathered 13 litters and 99 puppies since entering the Guide Dogs breeding programme two-and-a-half years ago

Pierre the Heir, four, has fathered 13 litters and 99 puppies since entering a breeding programme two-and-a-half years ago. The golden retriever is the only son of Trigger, the now retired top stud dog, who was selected to enter the Guide Dogs breeding programme due to his elite family heritage on both sides.

Pierre’s granddad and Trigger’s father, Jim, fathered 18 litters, while great-grandfather Windsor fathered 33 litters and a whopping 226 puppies.

He comes from a proud lineage of breeding dogs, with Pierre’s mother Sybil coming from a guide dogs organisation called Les Chiens Guides D’aveugles De L’ouest, in Brittany, northwest France – bringing with him a vital diversity of genes into the Guide Dogs breeding pool.

Further back, Pierre’s lineage spans across Europe, as on his mother side he has relatives which can be linked back to championship show dogs from Russia and Sweden.

Explaining the breeding programme and partnerships to mark Father’s Day, Dr Tom Lewis, Head of Breeding Programme for Guide Dogs, said: “It may seem like being a dad to so many pups is hard work, but Pierre’s contribution to the process is over pretty quickly.

“It’s our wonderful guide dog mums, who then have to feed and raise the puppies. We adhere to our Breeding Code of Ethics to ensure that all our breeding dogs are happy and healthy and suitable to be mated. A guide dog mum will only have a litter if she’s in the best condition, and she’ll have her puppies at home under the close watch of a family who looks after her year-round.”