Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Before starting today's blog I wanted to upload a picture of Gail at her first Home Depot visit.  I forgot to do that yesterday so here it is today.  For those of you who live in other parts of the country, remember in Florida it is always growing season so that's why you see flowers on the rack next to Michele.

Today, Gail arose at 6 AM demanding breakfast and thankfully Michele granted her wish.  Otherwise, I'm certain that she would've raised a ruckus.  She is certainly a handful when she wakes up in the morning.  I suppose it's result of a full-night rest.  In any event, she is ready to go as soon as you open the door to that crate.

At 7:30 AM Gail and Michele left to go to work.   I asked if Michele wanted to leave Gail with me today but she said that Bonnie works only one day a week and would be extremely disappointed if she would not get to see her. In any event, I told Michele that she could call me for rescue if necessary and I would take the her off her hands if need be.   Midmorning, I received the picture below.  Michele's message was that she had been sleeping in her water bowl.   I suppose that happens quite often. 

One thing is certain, Gail always has a surprise in what she does and how she does it.

Several people have asked about the process for becoming a puppy raiser for Southeastern Guide Dogs.    There is a local group of about 15-20 puppy raisers that meet twice a month under the leadership of an area coordinator.  For anyone having an interest in becoming a puppy raiser, they are required to attend at least two of those meetings to make certain that they understand the commitment required and ask any questions that they may have.  Take a look at the Puppy Central blog which has a link on this page.  You will get a great idea of what happens at these meetings.


After attending two of the meetings, the area coordinator will provide whatever information is needed  to ensure that the potential raiser is fully informed about the program.  Southeastern Guide Dogs has an application form on their website (www.guidedogs.org) that must be filled out and submitted to them.  Once the application is reviewed and tentatively approved, the area coordinator comes to your home and makes certain that the environment is one that a new puppy would find comfortable and safe.


Assuming the area coordinator is comfortable after the home visit, the next step that occurs is a background check to ensure that the puppy will be placed in an appropriate environment.  All of these puppies are extremely valuable (it costs about $60,000 to raise a guide dog, train and support it for life) so it's easy to understand why the check is necessary. 


The last step is to sit back and wait until a puppy is available. In some cases, the wait may be as much as six months.  However, we only waited one week.


One last cute and adorable picture ...