Pooch parents wanted

GUIDE Dogs Victoria is calling on people to apply to become a puppy raiser ahead of an invite only information session on 21 June.

Puppy development team leader Naomi Wallace said the event will provide applicants with the information they need to make an informed decision on whether the commitment is right for them.

“We’ll run a session that gives them insight into what’s involved with being a volunteer for Guide Dogs and raising a puppy,” she said.

“I like to say that we’re talking some people into it and some people out of it because we really need to tell them what’s really involved so that they can make a decision based on the information they have to commit to puppy raising for that 12-month period of looking after the pup in their home.

“The session will go into detail about what’s involved in raising a puppy from vaccinations and health checks to… what is entailed in their training and their guide dog work after they graduate from being a puppy.”

Ms Wallace said the event will also touch on reactions puppy raisers might get from family and friends about the challenges of passing on a puppy at the end of the 12-month period.

“We talk about the psychology about the stories we chose to tell and why we can cope with giving a pup up is the practiced story of ‘I can love this dog, I get a lot of care out of it in this time however in the future someone else is going to have independence because of that’.”

To attend the information session potential puppy raisers first need to meet special criteria listed on the Guide Dogs Victoria website, then make an application before receiving an invitation to the event.

Ms Wallace said the criteria covers a variety of aspects from having young children or other pets in the home to making sure applicants can commit to being at home often enough to train and care for a puppy.

“Definitely over the years of raising dogs in Guide Dogs Victoria, we’ve been here for over 60 years, we have developed an idea of the type of people that are good at doing this and it tends to be very much around who has the time to put in and commit to.

“We’re looking for people who have the time, the commitment and desire to learn about the training of a dog because it can be slightly different to what they’ve done with their pet dogs and that’s because the outcome at the other end is a working dog.”

The information session comes as puppy raising returns after a temporary pause during lockdowns, and Ms Wallace said people involved will now have access to a regionally based staff member.

“Guide Dogs Victoria is really looking at growing our regional areas of Bendigo, Ballarat and Geelong,” she said. “We now have employed a puppy development advisor who will work in the Bendigo and Ballarat region.”

For more information or to begin the puppy raiser application process visit bit.ly/35jPvQp.