7 minute read
BEFORE THEY CAN GUIDE, THEY NEED YOU BY THEIR SIDE - GUIDE DOG FOUNDATION
BY ELIZABETH SHANE
Volunteering is a powerful way to contribute to the community. Helping others brings a deep sense of fulfillment and knowing that your efforts positively impact others is incredibly rewarding. Debbie Greene, a Columbia resident, combined her love for dogs with volunteering for the Guide Dog Foundation and is making a difference in Middle Tennessee and beyond.
Since 1946, the Guide Dog Foundation has trained and placed guide and service dogs to help increase independence and mobility for individuals who are blind, have low vision, or other disabilities. The Foundation is accredited and certified demonstrating adherence to the highest standards for the humane and ethical treatment of dogs during their training programs.
For more than 75 years, the Foundation has been focused on improving the quality of life for the visually impaired by providing them with a highly trained guide dog and training at no cost. The volunteers play a crucial role in the guide dog program as they provide experience and socialization for the puppies in real-world settings preparing them for formal training.
Greene has fostered puppies through the puppy raising program for more than 25 years. Her dedication to helping puppies become guide dogs has taken her on a journey where she has successfully raised 17 puppies and currently has her 18th puppy, Jet, at her house. We got to play with Jet while he wasn’t working and see his training in action. We asked Greene to share her experiences and provide the readers with information on the Guide Dog Foundation.
How did you get started with the Guide Dog Foundation and when did you get your first puppy?
I originally started raising for Southeastern Guide Dogs after I saw an article in Southern Living magazine. The article talked about puppy raising and I thought I could do that; however, it took me a while to convince them because there wasn't anyone in Tennessee in the program. In 1997, I finally got my first dog, Kevin, a lab golden mix. I started with the Guide Dog Foundation in 2004, raising poodles for people with documented allergies, or a family member who needs a dog with less dander. The Guide Dog Foundation is the only school that works with poodles. Jet is my current poodle puppy. I got him when he was 10 weeks old and he is now 10 months.
Will you tell us more about the puppies in the Guide Dog Foundation program?
The Guide Dog Foundation is based out of Smithtown, New York. At around 10 weeks old the puppies are put on a transport that brings about 8 to 10 puppies down to the Middle Tennessee area. When the puppies are between 14-18 months old, they will go back to New York to begin formal training.
As a puppy raiser, I am training Jet in my home and teaching him basic obedience and house manners. I train him to stay off the furniture because the person who may end up with Jet may not want him on the furniture. For sleeping, a puppy starts in a crate by my bed. At six months, I took Jet out of the crate and trained him to sleep on a dog bed by my bed, and he knows that’s where he has to stay and sleep at night.
Potty training is also very important as they have to go on command. We teach them to go busy busy or just go busy on different surfaces, so when the dog is working it won’t have to go to relieve themself. Quite a few of the guide dogs go to big cities so it is important that their handler can easily take care of them and they will go on command as directed on any surface.
The puppies are fed three times a day on a schedule and at six months we start feeding them twice a day. To make the transition easier for the dogs, they are fed a preferred dog food that is readily available around the country in grocery stores. The dogs always have free access to water, but as puppies, we need to be careful they don’t drink too much or play in the water.
Now keep in mind, that whoever gets Jet or one of the other dogs may change the rules and if they want him to sleep in bed at night with them or they don’t mind if he gets on the furniture, that is up to them and perfectly fine. But the recipient is presented with a dog that knows it is not allowed on the furniture or in the bed.
What happens if the puppy isn’t a good candidate for a guide dog?
If a dog is not happy, they will discontinue formal training. However, they will see if the dog could excel in another service such as bomb detection. If another service area is not found, then the puppy is offered back to the puppy raiser and if they do not take the dog there is a waitlist of people wanting to adopt a dog from the school. Due to the cost of training the dogs, the fee is approximately $2,000 to adopt a dog.
How would one get involved in the Guide Dog Foundation program and join the puppy raising team?
There is an application process and people can visit guidedog.org to apply. Area coordinators in the Southeast Region process applications and if it is for the Middle Tennessee area I would eventually get involved because I work with the puppy raisers here. Right now, I am the only person puppy raising in the area as a dog in the Nashville area just left for formal training. But I would love to have more people involved locally.
Goals Of A Puppy Raiser
Confidence building
Socialization
Basic cues
Shaping ideal house manners
Establish a relieving routine
Attend one group puppy class per month
Submit online behavior reports every 2 months
What advice would you give someone looking to be a puppy raiser?
Well, it’s a lot of work, but you are going to fall in love with the dog. The only way I can turn them loose is by telling myself that I am fortunate not to need him. I want him, but I don't NEED him. The people that get these guide dogs, their lives are changed. I'm friends on Facebook with a lady who just got her third dog service dogs typically work for about eight years. She had to wait a little while between dogs and she said, ‘There's nothing like life with a dog. I can go out by myself; nobody has to go with me. I take my dog and we go where we need to go.’ It gives people freedom and that is very easy to take for granted. There is a lot of time and love invested in these dogs when you're a puppy raiser, but if these dogs can turn out to help somebody, there's no greater feeling.
The journey of a future guide dog is a path that influences numerous lives. It costs more than $50,000 to breed, raise, train, and place one assistance dog. If you would like to learn more about the program or donate, visit guidedog.org and follow them on social media at @guidedogfoundation.
