Guide Dog puppy raisers

... according to Nathan Brooker, 30, and Georgia Pretty, 26, who are raising their first Guide Dog puppy, Mac

You need to have time

Georgia:

“They say you can’t leave them alone for more than four hours. Nate works from home so that’s what made it possible for us to have Mac. He goes to trainings every week.”

Nathan:

“Teaching them how to sit, how to interact with other dogs, and then we get homework. You’re not training them to be Guide Dogs yet, you’re training them to be good, obedient, loving dogs. Everyone’s like ‘oh I thought you couldn’t touch them’, but they’re just a normal dog for now.”

Guide Dog pups come from a special breeding program

Georgia: “Mac’s very soulful, has a beautiful temperament, and he is very playful and emotionally intelligent. Most labradors are food first and sort of everything else comes second, but Mac’s love first.”

Nathan:

“I was sick the other day and he laid there next to me the whole day. Even at the vet, he just sits there and lets them do whatever they need to do. For a lab puppy, that’s unheard of.”

Raising a Guide Dog is much cheaper than a regular puppy

Nathan:

“Two of our friends just got a dog and they’re like, ‘holy shit, it’s just so expensive.’ But with Mac, Brett – who’s the Guide Dog trainer – asks us every week what we need, from leads to food to tick, flea and heartworm medicine, so it’s all provided.”

You don’t need a huge house or yard

Georgia:

“[Guide Dogs NSW/ACT] come and assess your place, and they said the biggest thing was safety, so that he couldn’t get out and escape easily. I think we were nervous about the apartment; we didn’t have a big house and a big garden, maybe he wouldn’t have enough space to run, but actually it’s really fine.” You’ll meet your pup when they’re about eight weeks old

Georgia:

“We put ourselves in a mindset from day one that we’ve got to give him back [at 14 months]. I don’t think you get used to it. It’s sad because you fall in love with them so quickly, but you know it’s for a good cause, so it makes it feel a little bit better.”