Puppy raisers of the South African Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind took their puppies-in-training for a ride on the Gautrain with the aim of getting them used to all the sights and sounds of the busy transport hub.
The puppies, ranging from eight to 10 months old, and their handlers met at the Sandton Gautrain station and were soon the centre of attention of passing commuters.
Puppy raiser David Meyer Roberts was very happy with the way his pup behaved on the train and at the airport, and explained that putting the puppies in these situations gets them accustomed to real situations where they will be relied upon to stay calm and collected. “When you take on a dog as a puppy raiser, your job is to sensitise the dog to all environments, that includes shopping centres, coffee shops, taxis etc,” said Roberts.
“We need to see how the animals will react to the sound of the train and large crowds of people. A guide dog that reacts badly to an oncoming train could put a blind person in serious danger.”
Caroline Human, kennel supervisor for the association said becoming a puppy raiser could be a wonderful experience for dog lovers, but these people needed to have quite a lot of free time. “We require puppy raisers to have flexible work hours,” she said.
“They need to spend a lot of time with the dogs to make sure that they are exposed to as many social scenarios as possible. It goes without saying that you should be a dog lover if you want to take part.”
The South African Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind was founded in 1953 by Gladys Evans and the main objective of the association is to improve the mobility, independence and overall well-being of visually-impaired people and other persons with disabilities using trained guide dogs.
Details: www.guidedog.org.za
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