Behind every diligent guide dog that can be seen on the street restoring a sense of independence to its visually impaired owner, there’s an unsung hero who has given away a bit of their heart to perform one of the most selfless acts imaginable: they have loved that dog, and then let it go.
Without puppy raisers like Carol Duffin, visually impaired people would be denied the companionship and confidence that comes with the gift of a guide dog – a loyal servant and friend who’ll keep them safe by being by their side, acting as their eyes and making judgement calls on their behalf.
People like Carol are a critical cog in the well-oiled wheel of the Lanarkshire-based Guide Dogs training centre, at which the intelligence and loyalty that’s part of the DNA of specially-bred puppies is brought to the fore.
It’s there that pups like eight-month-old Labradoodle Megan are destined to start the meticulous training that will prepare them for the working years they will devote to a visually impaired person.
The name Megan, which is of Welsh origin meaning ‘pearl,’ was bestowed on the puppy by kind-hearted sponsors and supporters of the Guide Dogs charity.
Carol welcomed the fluffy, white bundle into her home when the pup was just eight weeks old.
Megan is the third guide dog puppy that retired NHS nurse Carol has loved and trained, before handing each one over to the Guide Dogs Training Centre in Hamilton for them to begin their lives as working dogs.
“Although I’ve always loved dogs, I was an NHS nurse and so didn’t have a dog throughout my adult life,” explained Carol.
“I took early retirement and was looking for volunteering opportunities. In order to do this, I thought I’d have to be qualified and have dog training experience. But after a visit and an interview, I was asked when I’d like a puppy.”
Carol travelled to the Forfar Guide Dogs Training Centre for her induction, where she heard a visually impaired person explain the difference between getting around with a cane and navigating everyday life with assistance from a dog.
With a cane, there were obstacles in the way of a tentative walk to the local Post Office in the forms of bins and street furniture.
But with a guide dog, the same walk took half the time, and lacked feelings of anxiety and vulnerability that came with an outing with a cane.
That gave Carol the reassurance, if any was needed, that she’d be able to handle the emotions that would inevitably flood her when she had to part with a puppy she’d raised to become someone’s guide dog.
First came Ringo, who is now aged four, who “landed on all four paws” by being matched with a young man who lives in the countryside and whose family includes young children.
From the photograph sent to puppy raiser Carol, she can clearly see that Ringo is loving life in the great outdoors.
“You get a lot of rewards from that, knowing the difference that dog has made,” said Carol, who took in second puppy, Alegra, shortly before Ringo left to start his training at the Hamilton centre.
The overlap helped the younger puppy to settle into Carol’s home, where she learned from the more mature pup before he moved on.
“All the dogs have been very different in temperament,” she explained. “But they all share the fact that they are loveable, friendly, happy dogs and they are a joy to train, a joy to have in the house.”
Described as “a bundle of fun” and “a very kind, gentle dog,” Megan – whose Guide Dogs-bred parents are a Labrador mother and Poodle father – is no exception.
Like Ringo and Alegra, she will remain with Carol for up to 15 months before she is ready to embark on her formal training at the centre.
It’s just like having a pet dog in the home, explained Carol – except she follows the Guide Dogs’ training methods of positive reinforcement, and continual cues and behaviours.
As her puppy raiser chats in a room within the Hamilton training centre on Auchingramont Road, Megan has settled down after the excitement of seeing the other dogs and trusted puppy development adviser, Fiona Fraser. Carol rewards the puppy for lying quietly at her feet by feeding her individual bite-sized Kibble Bits.
As someone who works with puppies, Fiona says hers is “the best job in the world.”
“I am not there to train the dogs. My job is to train the volunteers to train the jobs,” explained Fiona.
“I do get lots of puppy cuddles, though – and that’s a big perk. I am there on the best day when I get to bring the adorable bundle [to the volunteer puppy raiser]. I’m also a shoulder to cry on when I am the puppy snatcher and come to take the puppy away.”
In the times in between, Fiona is always on hand to offer expert advice when puppy raisers encounter a challenge.
Said Carol: “I meet regularly with Fiona and send her messages. She is always available. When she’s off-duty, there’s a 24-hour helpline. You learn a lot as a puppy raiser. You get a lot of free training and Fiona’s expertise is priceless.”
Although most of Guide Dogs’ puppy raisers are retired people, young families who eventually would like to get a pet dog of their own also come forward as volunteers.
Others include young people, such as an 18-year-old man who is volunteering as a puppy raiser during his year out from his studies.
As Fiona explained, though, the prospect of handing a puppy back to Guide Dogs after forming such a strong bond over many months can be too much of a hurdle for prospective volunteers to overcome.
But, as Carol explained, knowing that the dog’s welfare is always paramount and that they will go on to have a hugely positive impact on a visually impaired person’s life helps her to keep her emotions in check.
“It is hard, but you know from the start that is what is going to happen,” she said.
“I do not love my dogs any less than I would if it was a pet dog. I am often stopped by people in the street who say: ‘I couldn’t do what you’re doing. I couldn’t bear to see them go.’ But, if you have a pet dog, you will have to give them up, in the end. I know my dogs will have a happy life and their welfare is always paramount, so how can I feel sad?
“The rewards come when your dog is matched and you will be sent a qualification photo, you’ll see them proud in their harness, and that is lovely to see. Guide Dogs are very good about keeping you informed about a dog’s progress, how they have settled in. You get regular calls to let you know how they are doing. And you get the opportunity to see the dog one more time before they go and be matched with a visually impaired person.”
Carol and Fiona agree that all kinds of people, if they have ample time, can become volunteer puppy raisers, whose dogs’ vet and health care costs are met by the charity, which also provides leads, collars and harnesses.
Carol’s mum lives with her in Bearsden, north of Glasgow, and she also looks after her eight-year-old niece, who is greeted at the school gates every day by loveable Megan, who has learned to wait quietly and calmly for the bell to ring.
“You build up to that. You cannot push the dog too quickly. You plan around their age, their abilities and the stage they are at,” she explained.
Just as Megan has become accustomed, through Carol’s training, to wait at the school gates, so too has she become familiar with environments which she’s likely to experience as a working guide dog.
Carol will take the pup into establishments like cafes, museums, corner shops and large stores that normally have a strict ‘no dogs’ policy. But when she explains to staff that Megan is a guide dog in training, they are more than willing to help play a part by allowing her to familiarise herself with new sights, sounds and smells that will help her to learn and develop into an efficient and effective working guide dog.
Said Carol: “If you love dogs and you want to volunteer, I can’t think of anything that could be more rewarding.”
Puppy development adviser Fiona added: “You cannot be a puppy raiser without putting your heart and soul into it. I am in awe of all my puppy raisers, who do such a marvellous job. Every guide dog you see out there working is doing so because somebody has given a little bit of their heart away. The least selfish thing you can do is love them and let them go.”
To find out more about puppy raiser roles in the Lanarkshire area and to apply, visit www.guidedogs.org.uk or call the volunteering office on 0345 1430191.
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