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By Alice Gibbs
Senior Reporter
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The moment a guide dog in training took a field trip to a mirror maze has charmed internet viewers as she managed to solve the puzzle that often stumps even the most observant of humans.
Poppy the Labrador retriever is better known as the FOX 4 station pup, often seen around the Dallas-Fort Worth TV station. She was first introduced to viewers in March 2024 as a guide dog in training living with promotions producer and on‑air host Gabby Brewster. The station documented how early socialization in a busy broadcast environment helps prepare working dogs for public life.
"We acquired Poppy through a puppy-raising program with Guide Dogs of Texas," Brewster told Newsweek. "My job as a puppy raiser is to teach her the most basic of commands and to expose her to as many different environments as possible."
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Becoming a Famous Face
Poppy’s early training followed the typical schedule—16 to 18 months with a raiser before advanced training—but her trajectory changed. "However, Poppy is so perfect, Guide Dogs of Texas wanted to create a bunch of mini-Poppys, so her career has changed to guide-dog breeder," Brewster said. "She is now responsible for creating an entire generation of guide dogs. This also means that she is now with us at FOX 4 permanently and periodically goes to Guide Dogs of Texas to have babies."
At the station, Poppy has become a fixture, gaining exposure to a wide range of sights and sounds, which Brewster said is crucial for her development. "Spending every day at a TV station is a great way to expose her to all of that," she said, noting the stream of entertainers, chefs and guests who pass through FOX 4’s studios.
Off the clock, Brewster and her husband continue the socialization work: "On the weekends, my husband and I take her to grocery stores, malls, sporting events, and any other place a normal person would need to take their guide dog…We would also make sure to take her on at least a few weird and wonderful excursions a month."
Solving the Mirror Maze
In a now-viral video on Instagram, Poppy’s intelligence was on full display during a visit to a local mirror maze. "I assumed that we would be helping her through it, but she figured it out before we did," Brewster said.
While she initially expected Poppy to bounce off the mirrors like the kids in viral videos, she added: "That quickly dissipated when I saw those wheels turning in her head, and she gained confidence the further into the maze we went."
For Poppy, the outing served multiple purposes. "What my initial focus was for that maze was for her to see herself in the mirror and recognize that it's her, for the music volume to not distract her, and to also just have fun with her and try new things together."
The video has been viewed more than 600,000 times and, in the comments, people were amazed.
"This is actually so impressive," said one commenter, while another wrote: "What a clever girl!!"
"Is this the guide dog training final boss??" said a third viewer.
Brewster hopes that sharing Poppy’s adventures online will help to demystify the puppy‑raising process and encourage volunteers to step forward.
"Everyone thinks that you need to have extensive training to participate in a puppy-raising program, and my goal on her social media is to show that it’s quite the opposite," Brewster said.
"I had zero knowledge on training dogs, let alone a working dog when I started. The organization teaches you step by step…My hope is that people will see the fun stuff you can do via Poppy’s social media and that it encourages the viewer to reach out to their local service dog organization to become a puppy raiser, too. There is such a massive need for these volunteers."
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