Puppy Story

Puppy Raising and all that comes with it... Carol Miner

As I write this my seven month old German Shepherd is lying quietly at me feet. She is awake and alert and would probably much rather be playing with me, but instead she is patiently doing what I have told her to do. I have worked hard to achieve that good behavior from her and there is more work to be done. My dream is that one day she will be the willing and eager eyes of some blind individual. I am a Seeing Eye puppy raiser.

I will not romanticize puppy raising It has had its joy and its trials, its pleasure and its pain. The same puppy that was so well behaved as I wrote my first paragraph is continually demanding my attention and correction as I try to write this one. She does not want to be quiet; she does not want to lie down; and she does not want to obey me. But I must be calm and patient and consistent in giving praise and correction. And that is even harder than it sounds.
My job as a puppy raiser is, in short, to prepare a puppy for life as a Seeing Eye dog. I socialize my puppies; teach them basic commands; and expose them to the many sights, sounds, and smells that they might experience as a working guide. They live with me from when they seven weeks old, until they return for training at about eighteen moths old. Those months are filled with hours of hard work. Puppies are not born housebroken. They jump; they bark; they chew on things they should not chew on. And they do not always listen when you tell them no. It is really a good thing that puppies are so cute.

Lest I seem too negative, I must say that the months spent raising a puppy are also filled with hours of pleasure. I love my puppies dearly. How could I not, when they follow me around the house and greet me ecstatically when I come home. My puppies have been good company for long walks of quiet times together. They relish my attention when I play with them or groom them. They thrill me and make me proud when they perform the commands I have patiently taught them. They look to me for care and affection. But each puppy is more than a companion – they are part of a goal.

If I were merely a dog lover, I would not choose to be a puppy raiser. Puppy raisers have to give up the dogs they love. I have done it five times so far, and it is not easy. My passion is for the Seeing Eye and the work that they do. Every year hundreds of blind people are given independence and dignity through Seeing Eye dogs. All the hard work I do with my puppies is done with the goal of raising a dog that may some day make a difference in the life of a blind person.