Who would ever think that a life-enhancing, sometimes life-saving resource could begin as a fuzzy little puppy? At Leader Dogs for the Blind, that’s exactly how each four-legged hero gets his start. Linda Novak of Sterling Heights recently brought home a female black Labrador retriever puppy that will live with her for the first 12-15 months of the puppy’s life.
Novak named the puppy Maya. Novak will teach Maya house manners and basic obedience, and expose her to the world. Puppy raisers are volunteers who take puppies into their homes, and provide them with health care, food and life experiences. Maya will even be able to practice going to work with her raiser.
“We would not be able to provide Leader Dogs at all if it weren’t for volunteer puppy raisers. Right now we have about 400 puppies in 22 states and Canada growing up, learning about the world around them. The exposure that the puppy raisers provide is an intricate part of the dog’s extensive training needed to become a Leader Dog,” said Beverly Blanchard, puppy program development manager for Leader Dogs for the Blind.
Creating a responsible candidate to become a Leader Dog entails a great deal of socialization. The more the puppy sees and experiences during the first year of its life, the more adapting and calm it will be when exposed to future experiences. Many puppy raisers expose their puppies to shopping malls, loud sirens, cats and other animals, different kinds of staircases and floor surfaces, busy sidewalks, bicycles, sporting events, grocery stores, churches and much more.
When the puppies return to Leader Dogs for the Blind, they are thoroughly evaluated for medical soundness and personality traits. Puppies that pass this evaluation are trained one-on-one for the next four months by a professional instructor. The instructor then carefully matches each Leader Dog with an individual who is legally blind. The team trains together at Leader Dogs for the Blind for a month before leaving the facility and returning home.
Leader Dogs are provided completely free to qualified individuals, including travel and 26 days of room and board at the Leader Dog facility. Leader Dogs for the Blind is funded by donations from Lions and Lioness Club members, individuals, foundations and corporations dedicated to community service.
For more information or to make a donation, call Leader Dogs for the Blind at 888-777-5332 or visit www.leaderdog.org
