The Don Lowe family, volunteer puppy raisers for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, have just seen their puppy graduate as a full-fledged guide dog. Ballou, a black female Labrador Retriever, had been with the Lowe family since she was just eight weeks old. Now fully trained to be part of a Guiding Eyes team, Ballou will be a working guide dog with Gertrude Moylan in Connecticut. The Guiding Eyes Puppy Raising program is comprised of caring, dedicated people. Puppy raisers nurture the young pups and familiarize them with everyday situations. They establish the loving human bond that is the foundation for the puppies' future role in a guide dog team. Raisers are provided the necessary training and support from a volunteer area coordinator. After a year and a half, puppy raisers return the dogs to Guiding Eyes for evaluation. Living in the Lowe home, Ballou was provided with many different opportunities for socialization, including visits to shopping malls, train stations and restaurants. It costs approximately $40,000 to match a Guiding Eyes dog with a blind partner but, there is no cost to the graduate. For information on raising a Guiding Eyes puppy, contact Guiding Eyes for the Blind at 1 (866) GEB-LABS or visit their website at www.guidingeyesbcweb.org. |
