I interviewed Teri Smith, spokesperson for Southeastern Guide Dogs in Atlanta.
What does Southeastern Guide Dogs do?
Our mission is to help people who cannot see and people who have seen too much. We train dogs for people who are blind and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and other disabilities.
If someone wants to raise a puppy who is going to become a guide dog how do you start?
There is an application at guidedogs.com. You can start by going to a meeting and get a sense for what it takes.
How many puppies are being raised to become guide dogs and do all of them become guide dogs?
250 puppies are born every year on our campus in Florida that go into the program. Becoming a Guide Dog is difficult. It has to be able to do things that can save a person’s life. We think the dog chooses the mission. After being raised in a home for about a year it goes to the campus for training. Guide Dogs must be able to do things that are difficult for a dog to do. A Guide Dog learns about 40 commands. Dogs that are not quite ready for this are trained as Service Dogs who know about 15 commands.
What is a story that you like to tell?
The first puppy my daughter and I raised was Gato. She went everywhere we did and she loved to go to Publix. Back then fruit was often displayed on low level shelves. Gato loved peaches and would lick them whenever we went by. Consequently we bought more peaches than anything else! Her person now is a lady who lost her sight when she was 16 years old. Gato gets her through mass transportation to and from work every day, which gives her tremendous freedom.
How long do you raise the puppies for?
Just over 1 year. You get the puppy between 8-12 weeks and return him for training around 12-14 months.
When the puppies are being returned are the people who raised them or the puppies sad?
When you take a puppy you sign papers and know it is not yours. You know the dog is going to make a big difference in someone else’s life. People who do it once generally do it over and over again. Dogs tend to live in the moment and the puppies are often very excited to return and see siblings again. Puppy Raising Day is something we look forward to as you get to come back to the campus and see your dog matched with someone.
How can I and the community help you?
We need more puppy raisers. If you love dogs and want to do something that will change someone’s life this is a thing for you.