This is one of my Passion Project posts, where we talk to people doing cool projects and find out what makes them tick and how you can get involved. Today we’re talking to a couple from San Jose, CA who are among 1,400 local volunteers that raise puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
Mala and Greg with guide-dogs-in-training Clinton and Rialta
What is your passion project?
We have always loved dogs and decided to volunteer to be Puppy Raisers for Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB). GDB is the largest Guide Dog School in the country and headquartered in San Rafael, CA. They have a second campus in Boring, OR.
Why does raising guide dogs matter?
GDB is a non-profit charitable organization to provide a safe means of mobility for people who are blind and visually impaired. The programs are made possible through teamwork of staff, volunteers, and generous donors. When a guide dog graduates after their training period, it is amazing to see how smart they are in following simple directions and aware in the surrounding environment to lead a blind person to safety.
How did you first get involved?
We decided to do Guide Dogs for the Blind when we both retired from our jobs, to experience giving back to society, to someone in need of a service dog. Raising guide dogs from puppies is one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences we’ve had.
GDB is a fantastic organization supported by amazing and dedicated volunteers. GDB breeds and raises mostly Yellow Labs, Black Labs, Golden Retrievers and/or Cross Breeds. We enjoy the opportunity to meet other puppy raisers from locations as far away as Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and elsewhere. Being a Puppy Raiser, you try to keep in contact with the puppy’s siblings and parents to compare their traits and follow them until they graduate. When any of them graduate, we are so proud that they’ve become a working guide dog.
Mala and Greg’s latest guide dog in training, Kenzo, at 8 weeks
What’s involved? How does it work?
If anyone is interested in volunteering to raise guide dogs, GDB will put you in contact with the closest group in your area. Our group is called Growing Guides and we meet twice a month with trainers and puppies for lessons and other helpful tips. There are also events held at other locations, i.e., farmers market, airport terminal, shopping mall, baseball games, etc., so puppies can become familiar and comfortable in these type of locations and we can bring awareness to others about working with Guide Dogs for the Blind.
When you are approved as a Puppy Raiser, you have a couple of options. You can start out with an 8-week-old puppy and raise them until they are recalled for the final stage of training on the GDB campus at approximately 14 to 18 months. You also have the option of raising them for the starter stage of 8 weeks to 5 months which is what we are doing now since we have two pet dogs in the house. We have Ally, a 10-year-old yellow lab, and Clinton, almost 2 years old, a career-changed GDB yellow lab due to trachea problem.
If your recalled dog does not pass the final training period, GDB will place them with other service organizations such as Dogs for Diabetics or therapy pet organizations or they’ll become adoptable by either the trainer or another family.
As a Puppy Raiser, GDB reimburses you for required vaccinations and rabies shots. The raiser provides their own dog food from the GDB recommended list and your club provides monthly flea medications and Heartgard Plus medications. Each month, we provide a puppy report to our group leader.
A guide dogs in training event to acclimatize the dogs to other animals
Why is this a passion project for you?
The joy of seeing a working dog in the field just brings us so much happiness about how smart they are and what they can do. Seeing a working Guide Dog for the Blind in action reminds me that we can do this and bring joy to someone in need.
This is a labor of love for us and an activity and commitment that we enjoy doing together.
Guide dogs at home: Mala and Greg’s third puppy-in-training Bodega with their adopted dog, career-changer Clinton
Thanks, Mala & Greg! For more information about volunteering with GDB, please visit their website or check out this article on raising therapy dogs.
If you have a passion project or know someone else doing something cool, please reach out! I love meeting people doing amazing things and I hope you love reading about them, too.
Cheers,
