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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Making a Difference

I came across the post on the GDB blog page about the Search Dog Foundation deployment. Right now there is a career change dog down in Haiti helping to find buried victims....what an amazing thing this pup has gone on to do! Check out the Search Dog Foundation and see the amazing training they give to these dogs and their handlers.

I love reading about all the things our pups can go on to do: guide dogs, service dogs, diabetic alert dogs, SAR dogs, detection dogs, therapy dogs, Canine Buddies....the list is endless! Recently a comment was made to me that the work I do as a puppy raiser is not really worth much. The individual seemed to think that Guide Dogs being "dragged through crowded restaurants and movie theaters" were not "real" working dogs and really had no positive impact. I have also encountered people who think that their working dog (not service dog) have more rights and privileges for public access because they have 'fun' together. I am at a loss for words: Guide Dogs not having fun? Watch any of the training videos and you will see their tails going a mile a minute: they LOVE their jobs! Although I know that this person is very ill-informed, I mean LOOK at all the stuff our dogs go on to do, I have been trying to find a way to educate people on the impact Guide Dogs and other service dogs have on their new partners' lives.

Often when people see our pups and working guides in public, they are not actually realizing what these dogs DO, the impact they make. They are not just a dog being taken into public for the fun of it, they are dogs changing lives and keeping their partners safe every single day. How do you share the impact your dog makes in your own, or someone else's, life?

5 comments:

Carin said...

Can I shake that person? Our dogs aren't worth much? I cannot walk nearly so quickly or so freely without Trixie. How dare they say that to you, who do all this hard work when they're a puppy? What possible good did that person think they were doing by saying such a horrible thing? Oh, I bristle!

Lisa and pups said...

The way I see it - is anyone who does their job really well, makes the job look easy! After all, why else do we watch sports or admire artists and things? And, who's to say dog's aren't smarter than us - making work fun! :D What better thing than to be with their person daily!!! :D

Sorry that person was so UGH! They sure know how to put a downer on things.

Becky Andrews said...

Well put Carin. Every day I am so grateful for what you are doing -- in particular the training Cricket had from her two puppy raisers. I am blessed by it daily. It is an ongoing education isn't it. Thank you SO much for what you do, Sarah.

Addie, Llarson, and Ava said...

The statement that always comes up with puppies in training is "I could never give the dog back." How could you not? Look at the big picture. Not only did the dog improve your life, it is going on to help other people and perhaphs even save lives. I always tell people interested about raising explosive detection dogs (the type of dogs I raise), but do not want to give up the dog, what if the dog you raise saved hundreds of lives, how would you feel then? They usually act dumfounded after that question because they know I am right. Raising working dogs is important to the community no matter what how big/small the impact, the dog is still making a difference in the world.

OSU 98 said...

Sitting here scratching my head. Forgive them...for they know not what they say. People.