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London's Canary Wharf becomes Canary Woof for Guide Dog art trail

PA Media dog sculpturesPA Media
This dog, Poncho, is inspired by the "nurturing, warm, protective" South American woven garment

Decorated dog sculptures have turned Canary Wharf into Canary Woof with the opening of a canine public art trail.

Paws on the Wharf, organised by Guide Dogs and Wild in Art, showcases the work of 25 artists and aims to raise awareness about sight loss.

Sixteen of the sculptures are in Canary Wharf itself and nine in the wider Tower Hamlets borough.

The pieces will be auctioned after the exhibition closes with the proceeds going to the charity.

PA Media dog sculpturesPA Media
Paws for Thought's design "evokes a sense of calm and mindfulness" and references the Canary Wharf Sky Garden

The decorated dogs include Bark to the Future, based around old science fiction tin toys from the 1950s; Dog Stars - a tribute to service dogs of the past; and Jurassic Bark - a scaly horned dino-dog.

Wild in Art dog sculpturesWild in Art
Dot to Dog (centre) is based on colour blindness tests, Visionaries (left) features the faces of famous people with vision impairment, and Dog Stars (right) pays tribute to service dogs of the past

The trail is step-free and can be accessed through the NaviLens App and NaviLens Codes - technology to enable people with sight loss to visit the trail independently.

Guide Dogs will also be offering sighted guide tours on specific days for people who would rather have support navigating the trail.

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