Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Homecoming date

Just herd from Steve at GDA ... My boy comes home Friday !!! Its going to be in the afternoon sometime because his puppy raisers are coming to say goodbye to him Friday morning... I can not begin to tell you all how much a puppy raiser means to me ! Without them , I would not have my dog , my eyes . They take these dogs into their homes, love them like their own , and give them back . For a lot of raisers their puppy is like a child ... Imagine having a child and giving it up after a year and a half .
I know from personal experience raising a guide dog puppy Is a lot of work , and . My greg was a tough puppy from the get go ! He was a banshee all through his raising . You turn them in , say a prayer , and hope they make it . You wait and you wait and you wait ! Every time the school calls your heart sinks ... You think did he fail ? Did he pass ? Why are they calling me ? Then someone on the other end of the line says the words you have been waiting to hear ... Your dog has passed and is graduating ! And when the shock of that wears off , the reality sets in that you run the chance of never seeing your beloved friend again . In my case I never hear from Gregs recipent , even though he has my contact info and said he would keep in touch . I know how it feels to have the holidays pass and not even an e mail to say Greg is good . But im ok with that because I know this is the risk I ran when raising the dog .
I can only hope my raisers will want to stay in touch as I know some do not want to have relationships with their recipents . Whatever my raisers involvement is if any though , i promise to be there for them 100% giving them the reins to interact as much or as little as they would like . After all how do you not do this for someone who has given you your independence and your sight back ?
I like this saying ...
1 bag of dog food 35$
One chewed favorite slipper 15$
One bus ride to train the puppy 3$
One graduate walking independently with their guide dog
PRICELESS !!!!!

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