Pet’s Place: A Guide-Dog Puppy Learns the Ropes at Home
A puppy raiser brings Mister, an energetic retriever, into her home temporarily to help train him to be a service dog
A black Labrador retriever named Mister is the seventh puppy raised by Michelle Chun at her home in Alhambra, California, for Guide Dogs for the Blind, a service dog organization based in San Rafael, California, that relies mostly on volunteers to begin the guide dog process. During their basic training, the puppies are exposed to work settings, restaurants, markets and malls. They’re 8 to 12 weeks old when they are assigned to raisers, who care for and train the dogs in their homes. Then the dogs go back to the group’s headquarters for formal training when they’re 14 to 18 months old.
“Our goal is to have a well-socialized, confident, well-mannered puppy when we return the puppy back to GDB,” says Chun, a consultant in the health-care industry. Think you have what it takes to be a puppy raiser? Be prepared to spend a lot of time training and to say goodbye when the time comes. “While I love them all, there are definitely those that reach a little bit deeper into your heart,” Chun says. “It can be emotionally wrenching to give them back to GDB, but it is also balanced by how incredible it is to know that they are going on to something so much greater.”
“Our goal is to have a well-socialized, confident, well-mannered puppy when we return the puppy back to GDB,” says Chun, a consultant in the health-care industry. Think you have what it takes to be a puppy raiser? Be prepared to spend a lot of time training and to say goodbye when the time comes. “While I love them all, there are definitely those that reach a little bit deeper into your heart,” Chun says. “It can be emotionally wrenching to give them back to GDB, but it is also balanced by how incredible it is to know that they are going on to something so much greater.”
A typical day: Most days for Mister start with play sessions with Moki, a 4-year-old golden retriever-Labrador retriever mix raised by Chun who didn’t make it all the way through the guide dog program. Here, Mister and Moki are seen playing in Chun and Wong’s backyard, where Chun also raises chickens in a separate area protected from the dogs.
After some time spent working on obedience commands at home, Mister gets ready to accompany Chun to work, where he spends most of the morning under her desk. This in itself is good training for him, she says. “He learns to relax for longer periods of time, which is challenging for him.” She takes him with her to lunch, which gives him exposure to restaurants.
After some time spent working on obedience commands at home, Mister gets ready to accompany Chun to work, where he spends most of the morning under her desk. This in itself is good training for him, she says. “He learns to relax for longer periods of time, which is challenging for him.” She takes him with her to lunch, which gives him exposure to restaurants.
At night it’s back home, and Chun and Wong spend more time training Mister and then usually take the dogs for a neighborhood walk. On weekends, Chun takes Mister to the stables where her horse Zoolander is boarded. Mister stays in the crate and sometimes interacts with the horse to get more experience with other animals.
Photo by Steve Hymon
Stepbrotherly love: Mister’s companion, Moki, was the fourth puppy Chun raised. “He decided early on that he didn’t want to be a guide dog,” she says. Now his main duty is guarding the living room sofa and keeping Mister in line. “Mister is a bit more enthusiastic playing than Moki would prefer, but they get along fairly well. Moki loves to play and is happy to play chase and tug with Mister most days.”
Stepbrotherly love: Mister’s companion, Moki, was the fourth puppy Chun raised. “He decided early on that he didn’t want to be a guide dog,” she says. Now his main duty is guarding the living room sofa and keeping Mister in line. “Mister is a bit more enthusiastic playing than Moki would prefer, but they get along fairly well. Moki loves to play and is happy to play chase and tug with Mister most days.”
Out and about: Though there’s no prescribed amount of time Mister needs to spend socializing away from home, Chun does try to take him places that she thinks will benefit his training. “I generally don’t worry too much about Mister, as he’s ready for most situations. I try to expose him to a variety of public transportation, like buses and Metro rail.”
Get with the program: Guide Dogs for the Blind encourages positive-reinforcement training and Chun likes that the training has “flowed down to the puppy raisers.” One of the things she loves most about the organization is that the raisers are allowed to take part in the graduation of the guide dog team, helping present the puppy to the handler.
Heart tugs: Raising a guide-dog puppy can be bittersweet. After spending many hours learning the basics, the puppy has to go back to Guide Dogs for the Blind for formal training, which can be heart-wrenching for the average dog lover. But it’s a gratifying experience, Chun says.
“There’s a saying within GDB: ‘Inside each guide dog beats the heart of a puppy raiser.’ I love that saying, since it’s so true. We have so much of ourselves in each puppy. So my puppies never truly go away. They take a bit of me with them wherever they go.”
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“There’s a saying within GDB: ‘Inside each guide dog beats the heart of a puppy raiser.’ I love that saying, since it’s so true. We have so much of ourselves in each puppy. So my puppies never truly go away. They take a bit of me with them wherever they go.”
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Read more stories about pets at home
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Pet at a Glance
Pet: Mister, a Labrador retriever
Age: 7 months
Location: Alhambra, California
Owners: Michelle Chun and husband Vince Wong
Meet Mister: As bouncy as any Lab puppy, Mister is a bundle of energy. “To him most things are a fun adventure,” Chun says. She calls him a fairly confident pup, and he’s showing traits that indicate he may have what it takes to be a good guide dog, though it’s too soon to tell. “He’s bright and active and loves to learn. Not much bothers him and he’s generally pretty happy to take part in anything new and different.”