Meet Buzz, the guide dog puppy training for infinity and beyond

Buzz may only be 12 weeks old, but the guide dog in training is already taking his first steps to change someone’s life.

Named after the fearless space ranger Buzz Lightyear from Pixar’s Toy Story, the adorable young Labrador embarks on a carefully structured journey that will one day see him safely guide someone with sight loss.

The pup is currently navigating ‘city streets’ cleverly made from cardboard boxes by children, as he weaves his way through mini hotels, pubs, schools and even banks as part of his early training.

Together with fellow interns Sunny and Stanley, Buzz is put to the test to see if he has what it takes to become a full-fledged guide dog for people who are blind or visually impaired.

Training a guide dog comes with a hefty price tag of £77,000, which covers everything from puppyhood to knowing how to keep the owner safe.

Research by Guide Dogs has shown that 95 percent of guide dog owners say that their four-legged friend helps them travel independently.

While 85 percent of around 100 adults surveyed say they socialize more since getting a guide dog and meeting friends in pubs, parks and community groups.

Another 85 percent said they could go shopping without anyone other than their seeing-eye dog coming along, and 80 percent said they simply enjoyed ‘exploring’ their neighborhood.

Buzz may only be 12 weeks old, but the guide dog in training is already taking his first steps to change someone’s life

Training a guide dog comes with a hefty price tag of £77,000, which covers everything from puppyhood to knowing how to keep the owner safe

About 70 percent of respondents noted that they saw family and relatives much more often since getting a service dog, while 36 percent said they had started a new job since welcoming a puppy.

A spokesperson for Guide Dogs said Buzz’s name was inspired by the upcoming release of Toy Story 5, which hits theaters in June.

He said: ‘As a beloved Space Guard superhero prepares for a return to the big screen, we’d like to introduce Buzz, a seeing-eye dog pup with star potential.

“His journey could one day help someone with sight loss go beyond what he ever thought possible.”

While adding that Buzz’is already showing the first signs of the qualities that could one day help him transform lives,” including “curiosity and courage toward a growing sense of loyalty.”

Steph Potter, puppy sponsorship manager at Guide Dogs, said: ‘Buzz already brings a lot of character to the role and is about to embark on an exciting adventure that will hopefully see him become a real life changer one day.

‘Guide dogs open the world to people with vision loss and offer endless possibilities.

‘Sponsoring a puppy allows people to be part of a story they are proud to share, with guide dog puppies like Buzz getting all the care and training they need to succeed.’