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News

TRH continue their tour of the Czech Republic

22nd March 2010

The Duchess of Cornwall put herself in the capable paws of a trainee Czech guide dog today as she tacked an obstacle course with the canine's help.

Her Royal Highness is on an nine-day overseas tour of Central Europe with The Prince of Wales which has taken in Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

The Duchess took hold of the Labrador's leash and was walked around the potential hazards representing a busy street with great care by the animal.

Aisha, an 18-month-old trainee guide dog for the blind, avoided traffic cones and chains suspended between posts, but received a little help from her handler Eva Bendova, who held onto a separate leash.

The Duchess took up the challenge of the course during a visit to the Guide Dog Training School in Prague.

The centre is affiliated to an international body which is based in UK and hands over Labrador and golden retriever puppies to a select number of volunteers who look after the dogs as family pets so they can grow up interacting with the world.

British-born David Szendzielarz, 36, and his Czech wife Andrea, 32, received their four-and-a-half-month-old Labrador puppy Harriet four weeks ago and will return her to the centre for training when she is a year old.

Mr Szendzielarz, who was born in Manchester and grew up on the Isle of Man has lived in the Czech Republic for the last 15 years and runs his own clothing business.

He and his wife brought their dog for The Duchess to meet and the puppy jumped up to meet her.

The Duchess is a well-known dog lover who has a Jack Russell and spent a few minutes stroking a number of puppies and chatting to their owners.

Mr Szendzielarz said: "I'm not a dog lover, this was my wife's idea. We both wanted to do something for charity but something where we could really see the end result.

"We work long hours and wanted something that would get us out of the home. She managed to persuade me to take Harri but she has been great, she's a lovely dog."

The Duchess toured the centre and met animals who have begun their training and also found time to buy some tiny T-shirts decorated with dog motifs for her five grandchildren.

The Prince spent much of his day visiting Hostetin, a Czech village in the south east of the country that features many environmental projects - from a biomass heating plant to a reed-bed water treatment centre which His Royal Highness visited.

When The Prince first arrived the local mayor gave him a shot of slivovice - a strong plum brandy - which he took a sip of but did not finish.  The spirit that is popular in the region of Moravia, where the village is located, and other parts of Eastern Europe.

He also toured a farmer's market during the visit and took the opportunity to try some of the local goods on offer from the producers.

In the evening The Prince and The Duchess were guests at a reception at the residence of Britain's ambassador to the Czech Republic, Sian MacLeod.

In the diplomat's home, a former palace where Mozart stayed, Their Royal Highnesses attended a reception for representatives of the British community and for Czech citizens working in the fields of natural and cultural heritage protection focused on during their visit.