Paws that Lead
From Puppy to Partner: The Journey Begins with Walkers.
Before a guide dog leads its owner with confidence and trust, it takes its first steps guided by the dedicated hands of puppy raisers.
Guide Dogs for the Blind has been an inspirational organisation since 1931, when it was founded by two ambitious pioneers: Muriel Crooke and Rosamund Bond, with their German Shepard companions.
The creation of this organisation has aided the visually impaired for multiple generations, and has monumentally changed the life for those who have previously struggled due to their lack of sight.
The actual dogs go through multiple stages of their career through their lifetime: starting at 7 weeks old, the puppies are given to trusted and checked puppy raisers, who train the dogs basic commands such as sit, back, lie down, wait, etc; then, the dogs go to a professional Guide Dog school, where they are taught the more complex skills, and how to successfully lead a blind person with safety and precision; once they have graduated, the dogs go to work, where they stay with a blind person until they retire, which varies in time from dog to dog.
During their time at school, where they stay for 26 weeks to a year, they are given many challenges such as stopping at curbs, listening to traffic, ignoring distractions, finding shops such as a post office, and reliably leading the blind.
Before they go off to school, they stay for around a year with their puppy raisers.
These raisers play a crucial role, and are essential for a guide dog to be able to go on to be the heroic eyes for the blind.
To put it simply, if there aren’t enough puppy raisers, there aren’t enough guide dogs.
The dogs cannot progress if there are no puppy raisers to teach them the basic skills and care for them during their first childish year as a pup.
Over the past few years, Guide Dogs have seen a steep decline in the amount of puppy walkers to raise the dogs that are in high demand.
However, being a puppy raiser is not as easy as it may seem, although the basic skills are needed to train these bright K-9s, they are also required to take them to places where dogs may become overstimulated or over-excited.
These places include on trains, on buses, in shopping centres, in various shops, in restaurants, and even in some cases, puppies have been invited to Newcastle Airport to board a plane.
Being a puppy raiser is both challenging and rewarding, after the hard and difficult year, they give the dogs up, which can be emotionally conflicting: on one hand, you are heartbroken to lose a member of your family, but on the other, you are full of pride to know what they are going on to achieve.
Guide Dogs are currently running an advert, asking more people to volunteer to be a puppy raiser, and although it may seem daunting to give up a beloved pet, there are also multiple reasons to sign up:
The financial needs of the dog are taken care of
You are doing something worthwhile
You will be helping change the life of those with sight loss
There is support in training throughout your training
It is a rewarding and fulfilling experience
You create a positive impact on your community
You build bonds and relationships
I strongly encourage those who are interested in making a difference and helping others, to register for puppy raising and make the difference you wish to see.
Becoming a puppy raiser for guide dogs is a truly worthwhile experience, filled with moments of joy, learning and purpose.
By nurturing a future guide dog, you play a vital role in transforming the life of the visually impaired, giving them the gift of independence and companionship.
Your dedication and love will set the foundation for a lifetime of service and partnership.
So take the step today - become a puppy raiser and help shape the future of those who need it most.
The journey is demanding, but the impact is immeasurable.
For more information, visit Puppy Raiser | Volunteer | Guide Dogs UK
Or call the volunteering office: 0345 1430191
