Guide-dog puppy raiser tells his story
FOURWAYS – Keith Arnold explains why he loves being a puppy raiser.
Puppy raisers play a vital role at the South African Guide-Dog Association for the Blind. Before puppies can become working dogs they have to go through various levels of training to ensure they get their fundamental training before formal training with their visually impaired person begins.
Last week Fourways Review explained exactly what needs to be done in order to become a puppy raiser and what it entails and set off to speak to one such puppy raiser. Keith Arnold has been a puppy raiser since December 2015 and shared some insight about life as a puppy raiser.
According to Arnold, he loves every second of being a puppy raiser. He explained that even though the puppies are not technically his, he still loves them to bits.
Arnold’s first dog was a yellow male Labrador-cross golden retriever named Zac. After Zac graduated, Arnold received another Labrador-cross golden retriever but this time, a female named Ilana. “A month or two ago, the GDA asked if I would like to take on another puppy, who is Ilana’s half-sister and I chose the name Serina,” said Arnold, who now hosts two puppies since Ilana is only 10 months old and Serina is a mere 12 weeks.
READ: A woof out to potential puppy raisers at SA Guide Dogs
Initially, Arnold thought it would be too much to take on a second dog, but after he saw Serina’s litter and the fact that she was Ilana’s half-sister, he knew he had to do it. “I was caught hook, line and sinker.”
Arnold said it takes a lot of dedication and patience to raise a guide-dog puppy as the public is not well informed about how to treat puppies in training.
Arnold, who has lived in Johannesburg since October 1998, explained that as a retired, generally healthy man this was his opportunity to give back. “It seemed like such a nice challenge and a worthwhile [way] in which to give someone a new lease on life.”
He explained that being a puppy raiser gives him a sense of great achievement – especially when he sees the trained guide-dog and the person it guides. “I still have some contact with Pieter and Zak on voice messages and these are both heartwarming and heartbreaking.”
Details: For more information or to become part of the guide-dog movement, visit www.guidedog.org.za
