Guide dog puppy raisers share their journeys along the way
Guide dog puppy raisers for Guiding Eyes for the Blind share their experiences about volunteering in the process.
Dog O’Day – What is the most rewarding part of puppy raising?
Alissa Phillips – The most rewarding part of puppy raising (for me) is primarily two things: the “little wins” and the end result. Seeing your puppy find success at things that you’ve worked on together is so rewarding, especially when it takes you by surprise and you look at your puppy like “when did you grow up?” Of course the end result is extremely rewarding when you get to see your puppy do what you raised them to do and see who their handler is and learn about the team they’ve become.
Natalie and Anneliese Bush – The most rewarding part is the joy of seeing Dakota learn how to respond to the guide dog commands.
Chris Zunino – Seeing an eight week old puppy grow into an adult dog who’s ready for the next stage of their journey. I used to compare it to your child going off to University, then on to the rest of their life: still in your heart, but out on their own.
What are some of your responsibilities during the process?
Alissa – I usually tell people that puppy raising is about many things, but especially teaching house manners, socialization, and foundational skills before your puppy goes into guide dog training. Puppy raisers take an 8-week-old puppy home and turn it into a well-mannered, well-socialized, and well-trained adult dog for the professional trainers to teach how to be a guide dog.
During our time together we will attend weekly foundation puppy classes together with our Regional Manager for the first 8 weeks we have our puppy and then we will graduate into “big dog” class twice a month for the rest of the time we have our pup. We have two “walk and talk” evaluations with our Region Manager where our puppy will earn their puppy vest and get to try on a guide dog harness (amongst many other things).
Natalie and Anneliese – Raising a future guide dog involves consistent in-home training, attending classes and exposing her to people and social situations. This last item was modified because of COVID. Dakota also had a lot of exercise and love from all the members of our family.
Chris – I think one of the biggest responsibilities we have is teaching house manners. A visually impaired person cannot see what the dog is up to, so as raisers we need to make sure the pup learns appropriate behavior in the home. No stealing from trash bins, no jumping on the furniture, etc.
Could you share some memorable/embarrassing moments?
Alissa – My most memorable moment as a puppy raiser would be a tie between when I took my fourth puppy to see a Broadway show (we saw Dear Evan Hansen) and when I got to meet my second puppy’s handler and visit the dog I raised before they left to go home and start their journey together.
The most embarrassing would probably be the time I was walking in the mall with my second puppy and slipped on a massive puddle of water and landed completely on my back. Ballad (my puppy) just sat down next to me as if this was a very common occurrence.
Chris – I think one of the best things I learned was: “You can teach a pup to pee and poop on command.” Not something I’d learned with my own dogs! Actually, truth be told, I found it hard to believe when they told me that with my first pup Hosta. But it was not long before she was doing just that!
We don’t teach just house manners, but socialize the pups as well — starting slow, but eventually taking them wherever you are going. I remember with my pup Celine, who was about 14 months at the time, going to meet friends for dinner. It was just before Christmas and the restaurant was busy. My husband and I arrived before anyone else in our group and sat down. It wasn’t until the end of the evening when we all stood up to leave that they realized we had Celine with us!