We’ve recently been puppy sitters again for Hadley, one of the puppies who’s being raised locally for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Hadley will be seven months old next week.
Last month Hadley and her fellow pup, one year-old Rolanda, taxi’d in a small plane with Life Flight Network as they were exposed to air ambulances.
They also climbed aboard a helicopter ambulance. Both dogs took it all in stride. “Doesn’t everyone ride around in a small plane?”
Hadley is growing up to be a smart canine citizen and is learning to take the human world in stride. We see her almost weekly and she seems to be bigger every week. Here she is last January.
I’ve introduced you to Hadley, the puppy that the local Puppy Pilots group is training for Guide Dogs for the Blind. She is one of two pups the club is working with. Rolanda, the other puppy, is shown above with Claudine, the volunteer who’s raising her. Rolanda is 11 months old.
Hadley and Rolanda were taken on Monday to the Sequim Fire Department for exposure to emergency personnel and equipment. Rolanda, above, is allowed to explore a breathing tank as well as gear that fire personnel wear.
Fireman Brent suited up and allowed the pups to investigate him in his gear. Not only is the safety gear loaded with unfamiliar smells and sights, the breathing apparatus emits a variety of sounds. Dogs can react to unaccustomed things and Monday’s exposure was valuable training.
Rolanda, here, and Hadley, to the right, both loved Brent with or without his gear.
After the “who are you?” sniff test Brent picked up each of the pups to get them comfortable with this different sort of handling. Hadley gets a lift, above. Kim, on the right, is one of two women who are jointly raising Hadley.
When they are partnered with a blind person, a guide dog needs to take all situations in stride, especially emergency events that can stress people and animals to the limit. Kim and Hadley, above, will climb into an aid car, or ambulance, to check it out.
Members of Puppy Pilots took turns walking the pups through the aid car and around the fire station. Pat walked Rolanda above.
Rough metal steps with open grating at the station gave the dogs good experience walking on unfamiliar surfaces. Many things about these stairs can give a dog pause. Rolanda did very well.
Most dogs aren’t exposed to the great breadth of experiences that humans take for granted. It takes a special dog to walk in stride with a human as we go through life.
Remember Hadley, the Guide Dog puppy that we’re training to act as sitters for? I introduced you to her in November here. She was 10 weeks old when she made her first appearance on this blog. She’s now about four months old and has come to our house a couple of times recently to get accustomed to a change of scene.
We’ve continued to work with her lately. She’s had her big dog shots so she can now safely train in public and she’s begun walks around Sequim, venturing in and out of stores and experiencing situations she may encounter when she’s a graduated Guide Dog for the Blind.
She’s growing fast and taking new situations in stride. Like her, we’re learning. This old dog has new tricks to learn, too. Hadley is a dear little pup to learn with.
We have joined a group of local Guide Dog puppy raisers called “Puppy Pilots,” a group of adults who take on the early training stages of pups for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Raisers teach pups the good behavior needed for a career as a guide, acclimating them to a broad array of situations and environments. Hadley is the newest pup to come to Puppy Pilots. She is 10 weeks old, very smart, and sweet as can be.
We are “sitters” for Puppy Pilots. Pups will stay with us from time to time. But it’s more than a bed and biscuit gig. Like Hadley, we’re learning the ropes to grow a good canine citizen and are training, too. I plan to follow little Hadley as she learns the ropes and progresses to a possible career as a guide dog.
