There are some tiny Labrador retrievers that could use some love and support, says BC and Alberta Guide Dogs.
The organization has put out a call for volunteers to help raise future service dogs for Vancouver Island, the mainland and Calgary.
Volunteers would take care of the puppies starting when theyB次元官网网址檙e seven to eight weeks old, and keep them until their 14 to 18 months old to teach them obedience and social skills.
B次元官网网址淭he reason we do the volunteer puppy raising is because a big part of a well-trained service dog is being comfortable in all different kinds of environments,B次元官网网址� said Samantha Jagt, puppy training supervisor (who, yes, knows she has the best job title in the world).
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B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a finite time to get that socialization done. When theyB次元官网网址檙e placed we donB次元官网网址檛 have a concrete idea of where theyB次元官网网址檒l be placed B次元官网网址� maybe theyB次元官网网址檒l be in downtown Vancouver and need to navigate the SkyTrain, or lead people down roads somewhere rural.B次元官网网址�
Puppy trainers will meet with Jagt regularly; weekly for the first while, then up to three times per month. Future service dogs will also do group classes to learn specific skills.
Currently, there are 17 puppy raiser volunteers on the Island, all south of Nanaimo, but BC and Alberta Guide Dogs need more as it expands its services and has higher demands.
The organization is now amalgamating with Vancouver Island Compassion Dogs to offer service dogs for veterans and service members suffering from PTSD, and is also facing higher and higher demands for service dogs for those with physical impairments and autism.
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B次元官网网址淏oth wait-lists are closed because we have such a high demand,B次元官网网址� Jagt said.
While the dogs will live with volunteers, BC and Alberta Guide Dogs still owns the pups, who are bred in Delta. That means they cover all their vet costs, and basic needs (though volunteers are welcome to get them lots of toys and are responsible for poop bags).
Jagt said not all puppies pass the requirements to become a service dog, sometimes due to excitability or health issues. She said these dogs donB次元官网网址檛 B次元官网网址渇ailB次元官网网址� the course, but rather go through a B次元官网网址渃areer changeB次元官网网址� and can be transferred to one of two pet programs, either for young children with autism or to regular families (though in this case, volunteers get the first right of refusal).
Giving up the puppies after a year-and-a-half of training is no easy thing to do, Jagt said, but in the end itB次元官网网址檚 worth it.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e raised four puppies and I donB次元官网网址檛 sugar coat that part, itB次元官网网址檚 really hard to give them up,B次元官网网址� Jagt said. B次元官网网址淏ut I encourage people to think of it as giving to, rather than giving up B次元官网网址� the heartbreak is temporary. Seeing how much it has changed someoneB次元官网网址檚 life is worth it.B次元官网网址�
BC and Alberta Guide Dogs is also looking for donations to help build a new breeding facility in Delta that will have all the x-ray and ultrasound equipment necessary to help them expand.
For more information, or to make a donation, you can head to
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