A Guide Dogs Training Supervisor got a surprise when she met a guide dog puppy named after her by her late-Mum.

Joy Murray, a Training Supervisor based at the Guide Dogs centre in Atherton, got a huge surprise when she met her namesake - a chocolate Labrador puppy called Joy.

The puppy had been named by her Mum, Elaine Webster, who suddenly passed away last year.

Elaine had a lifelong career as a Puppy Development Advisor at the charity. In early 2023, Elaine had a bought a litter of chocolate Labradors to bring into the Guide Dogs journey and had secretly named one of them after her daughter.

Leigh Journal: Joy in front of Elaine's memorial benchJoy in front of Elaine's memorial bench (Image: Guide Dogs)

Elaine retired in the June and suddenly passed away in July in her sleep.

Elaine never got to enjoy her retirement, and the ripple effect of her passing still stays with her family, friends and colleagues.

Joy followed in her Mum’s footsteps and joined the charity nearly 20 years ago.

Having previously worked in Dog Care and as a Guide Dog Trainer, Joy is now in a supervisor role and her job is to support a team of Trainers. But she said “this was too good an opportunity to miss”.

Joy said: “In all my years I have never trained a chocolate Labrador as we stopped breeding them years ago. This will be an amazing opportunity as well as a privilege – no pressure at all to succeed with my namesake!”

Joy – the dog - entered training on February 26, 2024 and is now ready to start her journey with Guide Dogs.