Guide dog puppies take a unique tour of The Beatles Story

Guide Dogs has teamed up with The Beatles Story Museum at Liverpool’s Royal Albert Dock to help young puppies experience new sights, sounds and environments inspired by the world’s most famous band.

Puppies Janie, Sirena, Milo, Jonas, Kian, Gia, Nya, Kenzie, Toby, Eddie, Smithy, Ibson, along with their volunteer Puppy Raisers, were invited for a very special visit to highlight the importance of preparing young pups for a future as a life-changing guide dog.

The Beatles Story, which has just announced its brand new Fab4 VIP Experience for 2026, opened its doors to host the unique training session, giving the pups the chance to explore the immersive museum while ensuring their introduction to bustling public attractions is positive and comfortable.

Accompanied by their volunteer Puppy Raisers, the puppies explored the exhibitions, encountered new sounds and unusual objects, navigated themed rooms and experienced a gentle version of the sensory elements visitors enjoy every day.

The internationally recognised attraction takes visitors on an interactive journey through the history of The Beatles – featuring an impressive collection of artefacts displayed within recreated sets including The Cavern Club and Abbey Road Studios, with music, lighting, memorabilia and scents creating a fully immersive experience.

Sam Williams, Puppy Development Advisor at Guide Dogs, said:

“We partnered with The Beatles Story to give our puppies the opportunity to experience a busy, sensory environment, but in a safe and controlled way so they’re not overwhelmed.
 
“Early socialisation is vital for helping them learn to navigate unusual situations calmly and confidently. Places like museums, with different lighting, sounds and layouts, offer brilliant real-world training experiences.
 
“This may be the pups’ first visit to a major attraction, and by introducing them gradually to new and unexpected things, from Beatles music playing through speakers to themed lighting and unfamiliar objects, we’re helping prepare them for the variety of environments they’ll encounter as working guide dogs.
 
“Every pup handled it brilliantly. They took in the new surroundings with curiosity, and our Puppy Raisers did a fantastic job supporting them, rewarding calm behaviour and building their confidence. We’re incredibly grateful to The Beatles Story for being so welcoming.”

Victoria Leyshon-Matthews, Guest Experience Manager at The Beatles Story, said:

“We are a team of dog lovers here, so we have been so excited to welcome the puppies to our attraction. Witnessing them exploring our museum to develop their skills navigating new sights, sounds and smells has been a very rewarding experience. We are so proud to be supporting guide dogs and people with sight loss in this way, and we look forward to building on our partnership with Guide Dogs in the future.”
 
Guide dog puppies spend their first year with a volunteer Puppy Raiser. When they’re around 12 to 14 months old they begin their Guide Dogs training. If successful, they go on to become a guide dog, helping people with sight loss lead independent, active lives.

Discover more about The Beatles Story here and Guide Dogs here.

The Beatles Story has just announced its new VIP experience, find out more here.

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