Guide Dogs of America officials work year-round training dogs to help visually impaired and blind people be mobile, and are in need of volunteer “puppy raisers,” officials said.  

Photo courtesy of Guide Dogs of America.

With Wednesday being National Guide Dog Day, Guide Dogs of America is looking for volunteers to help teach puppies basic obedience before the dogs go to advanced training, said Stephanie Coleman, spokesperson for Guide Dogs of America.

“Our biggest need right now is to recruit new volunteer families to help raise our current crop of summer puppies,” Coleman said.

At any given time, Guide Dogs of America has about 150 puppies in need of being trained.

Puppies begin their training at about 8 weeks old, and are taught basic obedience until they are approximately 18 months old.  

Photo courtesy of Guide Dogs of America.

“During this time they teach basic obedience, house manners, things like not jumping on furniture, not digging in the trash or yard, not stealing food off the counter,” Coleman said. “And most importantly, integrating the dog into their everyday activities away from home so the dog learns to be calm and confident in a wide variety of public settings.”

Once puppies complete their basic obedience training, about half of these dogs make it to the next level of becoming a guide dog, according to officials.

“A lot of dogs are released for medical reasons, ranging from allergies to hip, elbow or eye issues — things that most likely won’t affect the dog as a beloved pet, but when we’re putting someone’s safety, literally their life, in a dog’s paws so to speak, we need the dogs to be top-notch medically,” Coleman said.

The dogs that become guide dogs are considered to be the  “astronauts of the service dog world.”

“It’s challenging work and it takes a very special dog to be up to the task,” she said.

Once dogs start the guide work training, they spend about four to six months learning how to safely guide the blind and visually impaired around obstacles.

Once the dogs have completed all their training and passed all their tests, they are assigned to different applicants waiting for a service dog.

Common guide work behaviors include stopping at curbs and elevation changes, and avoiding obstacles, even ones they as a dog can easily clear, but that could present a safety issue for the handler. For example, a low-hanging tree branch, navigating crowds and keeping the team safe when crossing the street.  

Guide dogs are also taught “intelligent disobedience,” where the dog will refuse a command if compliance would endanger the team.

“The dog doesn’t function like a GPS unit — the handler needs to know where they’re going and how to get there,” Coleman said. “The dog’s job is to make sure they get there safely.”

Photo courtesy of Guide Dogs of America.

The nearly two-year journey of training costs roughly $48,000, according to officials.

Despite the high cost of training a dog, Guide Dogs of America gives dogs to their clients throughout the United States and Canada at no cost.

Dogs who don’t make it through the process of becoming guide dogs are often assigned other service dog positions, adopted by the puppy raiser or adopted by families that are on a five- to seven-year waiting list to adopt the puppies, according to officials.

“In some cases, with the puppy raiser’s blessing, we can see if the dog can be transitioned into another line of service dog work,” Coleman said. “We have partnerships with a variety of organizations, and some of our career change dogs have gone on to serve combat veterans with PTSD or people with autism. Some of the more high-energy dogs have become narcotics detection dogs with law enforcement, or search and rescue dogs.”

Guide Dogs of America is currently looking for volunteers, including families, single people, those with friendly pets, etc. to help raise puppies.

The organization is scheduled to have a booth at the KHTS Santa Clarita Home and Garden Show, where interested families can get more information and how to proceed with getting assigned a puppy.

The KHTS Home and Garden Show is set to take place on Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, April 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Central Park, located at 27150 Bouquet Canyon Road.

For more information, visit the Guide Dogs of America website here.

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