In celebration of National Puppy Day on March 23, we are excited to share with you ten of our adorable puppies with a purpose. Each of these paw-sitively precious pups currently lives with their volunteer puppy raiser as they grow & learn on their journey to become a working guide dog.
What is a puppy raiser? A puppy raiser provides the foundation from which one-half of a successful guide dog team is made. These essential volunteers raise a Guiding Eyes puppy by providing the pup with the love, socialization, house manners, and basic obedience it will need to succeed in guide dog training. Click here to learn more about puppy raising.
Ira’s three favorite things:
Puppy Raisers: Jessie Burgess and MeKalea Chambliss
Region: Central NY Puppy Raising Region
How many puppies have you raised: “7th puppy raised” -Jessie, “17th puppy raised” -MeKalea
Favorite thing about raising: “Watching the puppy grow and explore the world around them.” -Jessie, “Being able to give back to the world using my passion for animals / helping give people greater independence.” -MeKalea
Jenkins’ three favorite things:
Puppy Raiser: Mark Hemans
Region: Central NY Puppy Raising Region
How puppies you have raised: “Jenkins is number 2. previously raised his mom.”
Favorite thing about raising: “I like watching the dogs become more comfortable with new and different objects and environments.”
Liam’s three favorite things:
Puppy Raiser: Lexi Bickel
Region: Leatherstocking NY Puppy Raising Region
How many puppies have you raised: “Liam is my first puppy!”
Favorite thing about raising: “My favorite thing about raising is the joy that both you and your puppy feel when you successfully do a command or you make a breakthrough on a command you both initially struggled with! I am so grateful to have such a patient and smart puppy like Liam! Puppy Raising also means to help and work with your region, my region really works together as a team to make sure all of our puppies and puppy raisers are successful, I think that’s super important!”
Photo Credit: Serinah Palafox
Queenie’s three favorite things:
Raiser: Debbie Dugan
Region: Bay Puppy Raising Region
How many puppies have you raised: “I have raised one puppy prior to Queenie. Her name is Cammie and she is Queenie’s mom.”
What puppy raising means to you: “Raising a puppy for GEB has been a fun, educational, and challenging experience. It is a great way to give back and GEB has been very supportive in helping to make that happen.”
Quince’s three Favorite Things:
Puppy Raiser: Sharon Boyle
Region: Bay Puppy Raising Region
How many puppies you have raised: “I’ve lost count, 9 or 10.”
What puppy raising means to you: “it’s incredibly rewarding and a special privilege to have the opportunity to be a small part of making the world a better place for someone else.”
Rumor’s three favorite things:
Puppy Raiser: Jill Robinson
Region: Capital NY Puppy Raising Region
How many puppies have you raised: “1 pup 3 years ago.”
Favorite thing about raising: “I love watching the pups grow as individuals seeing their confidence blossom.”
Sophie’s three favorite things:
Puppy Raisers: Camille & Hannah Clifford and Deb Dik
Region: Maine Puppy Raising Region
How many puppies have you raised: “25+” -Deb, “Sophie is our tenth pup for GEB, and we knew we wanted a really special girl!” -Camille
Your favorite thing about raising: “I love to see them learn each new lesson when they ‘get it’.” -Deb, “Combining my love for dogs with a service like GEB means the world to me!! I just love raising these pups, it fills my heart and soul with something that’s hard to describe!! And the wonderful friends we’ve made over the last 12 years because of this, is quite amazing!! And the friendships forged with recipients of both dogs we’ve raised as well as other recipients just bring a new texture to our lives that I’m very grateful for!!” -Camille
Tinsel’s three favorite things:
Puppy Raiser: Melanie Roberts Bergmann
Region: Westchester County Puppy Raising Region
How many puppies you have raised: “2 (Tinsel is the second one)”
What puppy raising means to you: “It’s a privilege to be able to work with such amazing dogs who will go on to make a difference in people’s lives. I’ve also enjoyed meeting so many wonderful people at GEB through puppy raising!”
Token’s three favorite things:
Puppy Raiser: Rachel Bohn, with assistance from her family members
Region: Westchester County Puppy Raising Region
How many puppies have you raised: “Token is our 4th puppy.”
Your favorite thing about raising: “I absolutely love raising these puppies for Guiding Eyes. They amaze me every day how smart they are and the eagerness they have to learn. I love that we become this little bonded team together, and then watching them learn and explore the world.”
Vero’s three favorite things:
Puppy Raisers: Michelle McCullough and Holly Voelker
Region: Baltimore Puppy Raising Region
How many puppies you have raised: “Vero is my 8th puppy for GEB and the son of the last puppy I raised, Pablo” -Holly, “Vero is my 3rd puppy” -Michelle
Favorite thing about raising: “I have met so many people through my volunteer work with GEB who I now consider friends. It’s an added benefit that I didn’t expect when I became a puppy raiser.” -Holly, “My favorite experience is meeting all of the amazing people and puppies associated with GEB. GEB is definitely a unique group of people with the same goal for these beautiful puppies. I have made some very good friends along the way.” -Michelle
Guiding Eyes for the Blind is approved by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501 (C) (3) tax-exempt organization, and all donations are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.
Guiding Eyes for the Blind Federal Identification Number (EIN) is 13-1854606.
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