PAW-FECT REWARDS FOR PUPPY TEACHERS
MAKING others smile is among the perks of being a puppy educator, but that extends way beyond the person who gets to live with a trained dog.
Royal Society for the Blind’s (RSB) Pip Edwards said puppy educators were used to shoppers’ faces lighting up when they took a dog into the supermarket. Mrs Edwards said never being alone was a major benefit of the role, along with the satisfaction from making a real difference in someone’s life.
“You get to take a dog everywhere with you — to cafes and restaurants and cinemas,” the puppy education supervisor said.
“The most rewarding thing is seeing your dog being one of our puppies that you watch grow and train and actually go out and help a client with a vision impairment.”
The RSB has 17 puppies under eight weeks old and each year has about 40-50 go through its program.
It is putting the call out for more educators to help look after them in the lead-up to International Guide Dog Day on April 28. Educators look after the dogs from when they are about eight weeks old to 14-18 months, teaching them obedience and manners and ensuring they are well socialised.