Guide Dog puppies offer comfort to the Victorian highway patrol team
Already doing their bit for the community, 35 of these puppies are looking for homes in Victoria for the next year of their lives.
Following a tough time on Victoria’s roads, members of the Melbourne Highway Patrol team spent the morning with some Guide Dog puppies who offered some much needed comfort.
Guide Dogs Victoria is looking for up to 35 volunteer Puppy Raisers across areas such as Melbourne, Bendigo, Ballarat and Geelong to help care for these pups, nurturing their development ahead of their formal Guide Dog training.
Over twelve months, Volunteer Puppy Raisers not only get to experience the joy of watching the pups grow and thrive through their training (all with full support from Guide Dogs Victoria) but know they’re playing a critical role in transforming the young pups into trainee Guide Dogs—who will one day provide essential independence and freedom to people who are blind or have low vision.
Guide Dogs Victoria’s Puppy Development Team Leader, Naomi Wallace said:
"The work we do at Guide Dogs Victoria wouldn’t be sustainable without the assistance of our Puppy Raisers.
“Puppy Raisers need to have a fully fenced yard, be away from home no more than four hours at a time and have access to a car. Raisers must also be able to attend training days in their local area so the puppy can learn basic skills such as sitting nicely when being groomed, walking calmly on a lead and developing good house manners - all of which sets them up to develop the skills they’ll need to change a life.
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| Puppy Raiser Angela holding 7-week old June Lorraine, her 4th puppy |
Melbourne-based Loretta has been a Puppy Raiser with Guide Dogs Victoria for five years, said:
"The Puppy Raising process is amazing. Not only do I get the joy of looking after a new puppy, but I also get to be part of the incredible community at Guide Dogs. I have met so many dedicated people who are doing a fantastic job at supporting people with low vision or blindness.”
I thoroughly enjoy the process, the dogs never cease to amaze me with what they are capable of, their ability to understand feelings and offer support from a young age is astonishing. The hard work truly pays off because the end results are so rewarding, seeing the difference they go on to make in someone’s life.
"Volunteering with the Guide Dogs team has also been a delight, they offer support every step of the way, as well as being very generous with their time and the supplies they provide. Puppy Raising has definitely been one of the most fulfilling things I have done.”
It takes over two years and costs more than $50,000 to raise, breed, and train each Guide Dog.
Like all the organisation’s services, Guide Dogs are provided at no cost to those who need them.
You can find out more, and apply to become a Puppy Raiser by visiting the Guide Dogs website: vic.guidedogs.com.au/get-involved/volunteering/become-puppy-raiser/
MEDIA RELEASE, 19th June 2023
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