Families sought to raise puppies for The Seeing Eye
Volunteers house the puppies for about a year and socialize them to begin training to help people who are blind
The Seeing Eye of Morristown, N.J., is seeking volunteers to raise puppies that eventually will be trained as guide dogs for people who are blind.
The nonprofit places puppies with foster families for about one year and they are responsible for teaching basic obedience, house manners, bringing the puppy to Seeing Eye puppy club meetings and socialization trips in their area.
The puppies bred by The Seeing Eye may be German shepherds, Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers or a mix Labrador and golden retriever.
“Raising a Seeing Eye puppy is a great way for children to experience the value of giving back to the community, or a project for people who are retired and looking to contribute their time to a good cause,” said Jill Jaycox, manager of puppy development at The Seeing Eye, in a statement released Friday. “It’s never easy to give back a puppy that you have raised and lived with for a year, but our volunteers always agree that watching the transformation from puppy to Seeing Eye dog makes the journey worth it.”
Puppy raisers must live within New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania.
All veterinary expenses are covered by The Seeing Eye and a stipend is provided to help cover the cost of dog food. If a Seeing Eye puppy does not graduate from the service dog program, the family who raised the puppy is offered the first option to adopt the puppy they raised.
Interested volunteers should contact area coordinators for their county. For homes in Berks, Bucks, Lehigh and Montgomery counties, the coordinator is Shannon Rager, 862-2465889. For homes in Chester and Philadelphia counties, the coordinator is Kimberly Winnington, 973-722-7362. and for homes in Mercer County, N.J., the coordinator is Christine Higham, 973-610-9237.
More information is available at www.seeingeye.com or by calling 973