Puppy carers in short supply

Each year in Australia around 40 guide dogs trained by Seeing Eye Dogs Australia (SEDA) are matched with people who are blind or have low vision, and lasting, mutually rewarding relationships get under way.

It takes around $35,000 to train a seeing eye dog, and they are provided free of charge to users, who form a strong working relationship with the dogs, which guide their owners through the daily routines of home, work or school, public transport, shopping and services. The dogs are also important as full-time companions, combating the isolation and loneliness that sometimes accompanies low vision.

There is a year-long wait list for people who require a Seeing Eye Dog, but a current shortage of puppy carers has resulted in a reduced number of trained puppies and wait times that are further lengthened.

“SEDA is the only national provider of Seeing Eye Dogs and with limited Government funding, we rely on assistance from the community, as well as the love and time of puppy carers,” says SEDA General Manager Leigh Garwood.

“With our new, expanded facilities we have the capacity to grow the number of dogs matched to those who need them from 40 to over 100 over the next few years, but due to a lack carers, we’re currently not able to increase capacity.”

To combat the shortage, SEDA has recently embarked on a campaign to recruit new carers for their specially bred dogs.

“Carers take a pup from the age of eight weeks for around 12 months, and are responsible for providing it with love, socialisation and training,” Mr Garwood says.

“SEDA’s puppy caring program is a great way for people to give back to the community. Becoming a puppy carer is also ideal for people who are considering adding a dog to their family because it is a great way to ‘test the waters’ before committing to a lifelong pet and, as we have often found, they fall in love with our SEDA pups and continue to participate in our puppy caring program.”

The University of Melbourne’s Werribee Animal Hospital has a variety of connections with SEDA, and Head of General Practice Dr Leonie Richards says correct early socialisation is important for all puppies, but crucial to potential Seeing Eye Dogs.

“Puppies are adorable, fun, inquisitive and playful but they’re also a lot of work. 

“All puppies need plenty of attention when they’re small, and Seeing Eye Dog puppies will obviously be just like a regular pup. They’ll be full of beans and very cute, but also probably not properly toilet-trained. They’ll chew things and be destructive, and they may cry a bit at night to start. 

“We often recommend a radio on low in the night so they don’t feel lonely, and they need to be kept warm and cosy. When people bring a puppy home they often underestimate just how warm he or she would have been, curled up with mum and siblings, so a bed in a draught-free room with a soft toy to snuggle with is important for a good night’s rest for everyone.”

Dr Richards also says that consistency of training is necessary.

“In terms of rewards and training it’s important that everyone is working from the same ‘rulebook’ so the puppy can learn what is expected of it – and Seeing Eye Dog carers will benefit from quite a lot of support from the organisation regarding training and behaviour.

“Although the training may be a bit more intense, when you put a lot of time into it, you’ll get a lot of reward back.”

And Dr Richards says that because puppies are such people magnets, one of the extra benefits of raising a Seeing Eye Dog puppy is the chance to make new friends.

“People will always stop and talk and want to meet a puppy, so if a person is new in town, it’s a great way to connect with others in the community. It’s also a great bonding experience within a family. The family raising a puppy works together and develops strong bonds over a shared interest,” she says.

www.seda.visionaustralia.org/

www.vet.unimelb.edu.au