The joy of raising guide dog puppies: ‘They transform people’s lives’
BY any objective measure Labradors must be among the most handsome of all the dog breeds.
They seem to radiate a cool and calming energy; they’re friendly and loving and capable of raising one’s mood, just by looking at them for even the most brief of glances.
Factor in their intelligence and deep capacity for responding to human needs, and it’s little wonder they occupy the prime spot among all our animal helpers.
That prime spot is at the pinnacle of human-canine relationships: in the work of the guide dog.
It’s one of the most vital of all cross-species partnerships and is facilitated only by the loving work of volunteer ‘puppy raisers’ across the nation under the beloved Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind charity.
Many of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind puppy raisers have been helping rear guide dogs in Cork for years – in a cohort of dedicated puppy lovers including Cherie Depping, Eimear Hourican (pictured) and Margo Lawler in Kerry (pictured below).
But for their work and that of their fellow puppy raisers across the land, the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind would not be in a position to provide so many canine helpers for those in need.
And the effects are transformative for the charity’s clients; the blind, the visually impaired, those in need of assistance dogs and groups/schools in need of community dogs.
Now, however, the charity is in vital need of more prospective puppy raisers as it strives to provide homes for upwards of 50 Labrador and Labrador/ Retriever puppies.
“What we say to people is what you get out of it at the end is seeing your puppy going on to become a training dog before then transforming an individual’s life, as well as their family’s life,” Cork/Kerry supervisor
Olsen, who is being raised by Annamarie Magnier, enjoying a break at a coffee shop!
with Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind Caitríona O’Leary said.
“Our guide dogs are mainly Labrador or Labrador/Retriever crosses. The thing about the Labrador is that they are very confident dogs with an absolutely amazing temperament. And the work they do is all about temperament, and bonding very well with their person. A lot of it comes down to loyalty as the dogs make for very loyal companions to whomever they are working for,” the Kilmichael native explained.
A new guide dog brings nothing less than the world to their owners, suddenly allowing them to move confidently through daily business outside of the home, without the need for the help of family members, friends or carers.
“What a lot of the guide-dog owners say is that they rely solely on their dogs for their independence. They say they can link arms with someone to get to wherever they need to go but that when they have a dog, they’re no longer dependant on somebody else. The dogs give them independence,” Caitríona said.
“They’re not looking for someone to help them get to the shops, to make an appointment or whatever the case may be.
“Guide-dog owners can get to work, college and wherever else independently, which means the world to people,” Caitríona added.
In an era of incredible development in technology, it is still one of man’s oldest relationships servicing the need, in this regard, better than anything AI computing can yet deliver.
These sentient creatures improve in their capacity quickly as they learn the routes owners regularly take, helping navigate busy footpaths and crossings with greater ease as time passes.
“We can even train them to get from one end of the city to the other, they are incredible learners,” Caitríona said.
None of it is possible without the dedication of the puppy-raising volunteer, however.
Those long registered with the charity in the role are fiercely committed to the work and to the wonderful dogs they look after for so short a time.
“The time frame for which puppy raisers have a pup is a year, essentially. They are placed with puppy raisers at around two months of age and move on for training back to headquarters when they are ready around the 13- to 14-month mark,” Caitríona said.
“It’s a big responsibility, but a very enjoyable one as all our existing puppy raisers will tell you.
“It is very tough on them seeing the puppies move on after the year, but they get through it in the knowledge that this was what they signed on for. Knowing that the puppies they raised will bring transformation to the lives of others.”
There are just three main requirements for anyone keen to volunteer for the role of puppy raiser with Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, Caitríona set out:
“There are three main criteria to become a puppy raiser. One of the main criteria is that somebody would be at home most of the time, maybe someone who is retired or somebody working from home on a fulltime basis.
“The second criterion is an enclosed garden, in a safe space for the puppy and one from which they couldn’t run out of.
“The third one is that any children in the home would be over five years of age. We find it adds stress to the home if children are younger than that as puppies can be jumpy and nibbly, and younger children might struggle to cope with that, leading to greater stress in the home.”
And it’s not simply the case of the charity dropping the puppies off once prospective volunteers meet the criteria, before collecting them again a year down the road.
Far from it. Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind manages a support network across the country for puppy raisers through every step of the process.
“Once the puppy is placed you have the continuous support of the puppy-raising supervisor in your area. I travel around Kerry and Cork and Munster, providing weekly support for raisers at the beginning of their time with individual dogs. After that, we give monthly support, and we even run online puppy classes. Essentially, there is support there continuously. If there’s any concern, we’re there as fast as possible. No one is given a puppy and expected to look after it for the year without support.
“As the puppy progresses, we would be adding extra elements to the training schedule every month.
“The training involves basic toilet training, crate training helping them sleep in their crates at night, and lead training, getting them to walk nicely on a lead. After that, then, is the wearing of equipment, like the puppy jacket, and continuing on from there to give them exposure to as many environments as possible,” Caitríona said, adding:
“I always say that wherever you’re going, take your puppy with you, to shops, restaurants, wherever. Once the puppy is wearing the luminous yellow puppy-in-training jacket, it has access to all public spaces.
“The more exposure puppies get to shops, cafés, restaurants and traffic, the better able they are to manage a broad range of environments, making for confident puppies.
“That’s all we are looking for before bringing them on for training as guide dogs or assistant dogs, a confident dog exposed to numerous environments.”
Anyone interested in taking on the vital role can email Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind via pups@guidedogs.ie or ring 0818-506-300.