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Pauline’s helping out with some puppy love
Former prison offer turns puppy raiser for Guide Dogs charity
situations.
“We take them out on trains, ferries, cars and buses, and expose them to restaurants and supermarkets – places that dogs are not normally allowed into,” said Pauline, who explained that Guide Dogs puppies are identifiable by a yellow flash on their leads.
“We train them to be selfcontrolled in certain elements that will help the advanced training further down the line. “
In order to prevent them becoming obsessed with a ball in their playful pup months, Guide Dogs’ puppies are not given a ball as a toy until they are fully trained.
It’s the responsibility of a puppy raiser to discourage the pup from eating discarded items on pavements, and from becoming distracted by people or other dogs.
“To them, it becomes second nature. In essence, it’s how you should train any dog,” continued Pauline, who follows the journey of the puppies after they leave her care.”
Every two years, full- time puppy raiser Pauline takes a summer off, during which time the puppy she is raising will be fostered by someone else who has been vetted by Guide Dogs.
“Anyone who gives us a break as a full- time puppy raiser is amazing,” she said. “It means I can go on holiday without any worries, and I don’t have to fret about boarding kennels. It is a great system.”
One of the puppies Pauline raised was Theia – a yellow
Lab who went on to become a ‘mummy dog.’
She has had three litters of nine, eight and seven puppies, each of whom are in the process of either being trained as a guide dog, or being matched with a visually impaired person.
Pauline is now raising her sixth Guide Dogs puppy, Piper – an eight-month-old red fox Lab.
“She is very smart and curious,” explained Pauline, who latterly worked as a trainer of Scottish
iPrison Service staff – a career in an environment governed by rules and regulations, and one that equipped her well for her role in raising the next generation of guide dogs.
“That is what you are looking for – a puppy who wants to be with you to learn, a puppy who wants the challenges.
“She is interested in everything that is going on around her. She has to learn that I am the important one in the partnership. But she is coming on well.”
Conceding that it is a wrench when a puppy leaves her care to move on to formal, advanced ed training, Pauline explained: “Yes, es, it’s sad, but at the same time, I have ve signed up that I am a fosterer, with th the knowledge that they are going ng to go on and do some amazing ng work. When you see the work that hat they do, you think: ‘ Yes!’
“I suppose I get more upset et when one of my dogs chooses a different career. I had one who is now a much-loved family pet. Not ot every dog is going to be a guide e dog, but in that case you kind of f feel as if you have not done your r best for that dog.”
Saying that her role means she will never see a dog die, Pauline added: “I think it is much harder for somebody [ with a visual impairment] who has had a partnership for eight years and then has to retire their dog.”
Pauline’s volunteering for Guide Dogs isn’t limited to puppy raising alone.
She continued: “The one thing about the Guide Dogs family is, once you get involved, you get volunteered to do other roles.
“I am a puppy raiser, a fundraiser, a coin box collector, a treasurer for several groups, a public speaker and I do meetand-greet sessions by taking dogs into businesses in Glasgow. I train other people to become Guide
Dogs speakers, so that the message is consistent. And I also bake and make tablet to sell at fundraising events.”
Because the charity meets the cost of the dogs’ food and vet bills, Pauline says volunteering as a puppy raiser can be a way of having a dog to love, without the associated expense.
“If you’re interested in becoming a puppy raiser, I’d say definitely go for it, but be aware it is a 24/7 role,” she advised.
“The amount of unconditional love you get from these puppies is brilliant.
“I have made so many new friends from being part of t this
organisation. Wh When you retire, your life changes. You can feel low and a bit depressed. This has given me a purpose and it’s very rewarding, in a lot of ways. It is not just what I give to Guide Dogs in looking after puppies. It’s what they give to me.”
* Charity Guide Dogs is urging supporters to host their own Make Every Cuppa Count tea party, coffee morning or bake sale. Fundraising relationship manager Sandi Johnson, who has named her guide dog Cup Cake Kane in honour of the campaign, said: “Small or large, at home, work or school, every penny you raise will go towards helping us provide lifechanging services.
We train them to be self-controlled in certain elements that will help the advanced training down the line Pauline Duff