Jodie will remain on the island. Photos: Matthew Mirabelli

Three four-month-old puppies arrived from France yesterday afternoon to be raised here before being trained as guide dogs.

Accompanied by breeder Antonin Morin, two black dogs, Justie and Juno, and champagne-coloured Jodie arrived from Lyon on board an Air Malta flight.

Justie and Juno will be kept by two puppy-raiser families for 10 months before being sent to the Hellen Keller Guide Dog School in Messina, Sicily, to be trained.

They may then return to work in Malta, while Jodie will remain here and be raised as a brood bitch.

The food for the puppies is being sponsored by Borg Cardona and Co. Ltd, while the flight costs were covered through a long-term agreement with the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Waiting for the puppies at the airport were officials from the Malta Guide Dogs Foundation, led by chairman Leone Sciberras and his guide dog, Aval, honorary secretary Lilibeth Cachia and honorary treasurer Elaine Cassar.