Reply With QuoteNope, but I've lived with a Seeing Eye dog. In college I had a blind roommate for a few years, and her first Seeing Eye dog was a really hilarious black lab.
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Just wondering if anyone has personal experience. It's something I'm considering doing in the next year or two. But only if I can get the kids on board. Right now they can't imagine raising a puppy and then giving it back. Which would be really difficult, I'm sure.
thanks,
-e
Nope, but I've lived with a Seeing Eye dog. In college I had a blind roommate for a few years, and her first Seeing Eye dog was a really hilarious black lab.
I could not do it and give up the pup. I can't imagine having kids and them being able to give up the pup either.
Patty
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I don't think I'd be able to do it. I'd be so bonded with the pup it would hurt to give them up.
I couldn't do it either. There's so much time and energy and love that goes in to training a pup.....It would break my heart.
Brandy was my first dog guide foster dog. I got her at 12 weeks old and returned her for training when she was 13 months old. She ended up having a bad elbow and was DQ'd so I got to keep her. Then I volunteered to take a border terrier (not as many health issues). That's when Grizzelda joined our family. I returned her for training and the organization decided that she was so great, she should be in the breeding program. So again, she came back.
I have friends who have fostered 10-17 potential dogs. I have so much respect for them. They give everything to their fosters. They socialized them, taught them how to deal with elevators and escalators, they taught them that people are good and all the scary new things in the world are normal and nothing to be scared of.
Does it hurt to give them up - yes. But is it worth it - absolutely yes.
ArchieSit (06-13-2014), petitesalmon (06-13-2014), Tanya (06-13-2014)
It's definitely on my bucket list. Ever since I was a kid I have wanted to raise a seeing eye/guide dog. We are relatively close to Southeastern Guide Dogs, I am just waiting for a time in my life that it would be feasible with work.
Never have, but would think it a beautiful thing. Sad to give up a pup, but if you have it in your mind from the very beginning what this pup will do, I think I could squelsh that sadness. I would though want to know how the pup made out though. If he/she made the grade and found that special person to help.
KAZ
never was a puppy raiser but was lucky enough to have 3 from guiding eyes. after they are "rejected" as guide dogs, they have many other places to go-bomb sniffers, drug dogs, etc ,etc the puppy raiser gets the first choice after they go thru all the places they can be used, and then there is an adoption list. a long long adoption list. it cost me 2 grand for my last two, each, but the prices just went up. i figure, i m getting a perfectly trained 2 yr old, and it's a good cause so….
and i have about 2 yrs more to wait for my next one. as i get one, i put my name back on the list,as it takes so very long to get one.
and they have puppy raisers that do one after the other, teaching them really, how to be a polite house dog, not fearful of crowds, that kind of stuff. then they go back for the real hard training, and get tested every month to see who can stay and who can be released.
my first was alan, a gem of an animal, both in looks and personality. he worked for a few months with a big guy, and got a bit skittish and the guy got a bit rough with him and i got him. never had a dog like him. ever.
then i got jake, the perfect gentleman. he has a soft esophagus and couldn't pull a harness. lucky me.
next is vangie, my first female. she was placed, both the person and dog taken back for more training (person wasn't doing the right thing) and then a surprise visit from them found vangie morbidly overweight (20 lbs) and they took her away, kept her till she was within two lbs of her goal and we got her.
she also happens to have a high eosinophil count which causes issues with food , and became incontinient , tho not neutered till she was two, but chinese herbs keep that under control, thank god, and her food, i seem to have figured out how to work with that.
they are the sweetest dogs ever.
no one comes close to alan. i think he processed what i said, like a human . you can see the intelligence in his eyes. oh boy , do we miss that boy.
I'd be a complete fail at it.
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