Not your average puppy raiser at the South African Guide Dog Association
SANDTON – Raising guide dog puppies can be challenging, but it is also very rewarding.
The Sandton Chronicle recently spoke to Keith Arnold, a volunteer puppy raiser for the South African Guide Dog Association (GDA), to gain a better understanding of what it takes to raise one of these very special pups.
SC: Why and how did you get involved in the programme?
KA: I applied online and some time later the association called and made an appointment for an interview and home inspection. A few months later I received a call to tell me that they had matched me to a yellow male Labrador-cross/golden retriever named Zak. My second puppy is named Ilana, who is now 10 months old and I got her when she was 10 weeks old. My third one is Ilana’s half-sister, Serina. I got her at seven weeks and she is now going on 12 weeks. Having two at a time is like working overtime!
SC: How is raising a potential guide dog different from raising a normal pet dog?
KA: Many people allow their pets a lot of ‘liberties’ like sleeping on the bed, getting onto furniture, swimming and chasing balls – the list is quite long. For a guide dog, these are not permitted. Imagine a blind person walking in a park, for example, and someone throws a ball and the dog goes charging after it? Not good! So there are valid reasons why having a guide dog in training is quite different to having other pets. The other major difference is feeling responsible and accountable for someone else’s puppy; the puppy never belongs to anyone other than the GDA, unless it fails to graduate for whatever reason, then it is rehomed.
SC: Do you take your dog to local spots in and around Sandton?
KA: We use the Gautrain Sandton station for train training, but my regular hangouts are around Bryanston/Fourways, Fourways Mall, Fourways Crossing, as far as Cresta. I will definitely arrange group walks in Sandton. This will give new variety and test acceptance to dogs in training. We enjoy doing company visits to their offices as this is also good training and exposure to different environments. This is best done on invitation, but if a puppy raiser is somehow connected to the company we use that as a lead. So any size company can make contact and we can arrange a visit.
SC: Why would you recommend other people become puppy raisers?
KA: It’s a great way to give someone who is differently abled, new life. This is a feeling of achievement that no words can describe, only tears of joy. The difficulty is parting with the dog that you have bonded with for up to a year – more tears. It keeps one busy and you get to do things that you might not have done otherwise.
Details: www.guidedog.org.za
Would you consider becoming a puppy raiser for the Guide Dogs Association? Let us know by tweeting @Sandton_News
