The wonders of puppy raising
OAKLANDS – Guide dog puppy raiser Heidi Bergensen shares the wonders of helping the organisation.
Oaklands resident Heidi Bergesen has been a puppy raiser for the South African Guide Dog Association for the Blind since 2014 and is supporting the organisation’s call for others to join.
Puppy raisers are a significant part of a guide dog’s life. Before guide dogs are able to go through formal training, puppy raisers give them fundamental training.
Beginning when she returned from living overseas as an expat, she joined to keep herself busy. Bergesen said, “I’ve always been a dog person and was used to training dogs in various disciplines such as obedience and ability. This work seemed tailor-made to suit me. And my kids adore getting a new puppy every year! We are now busy with puppy number four.”
Bergesen said that she has learnt a great deal about dog training. She added that the training of the association has helped her develop a lot of respect for advance dog trainers. “Another bonus is the number of friends I have made, other puppy raisers, and people everywhere who chat to me about the pups I raise. Dogs break through a lot of barriers.”
About the importance of raising puppies, Bergesen said, “Since I have been working with GDA I have become more aware of the difficulties blind or partially sighted people have, functioning in a country like this. In Europe, you see guide dogs everywhere, they are an accepted part of life. Here, they are uncommon. The GDA struggles to keep up with demand, and a huge part of my job as a puppy raiser is spreading awareness and acceptance.”
She believes that the need for more puppy raisers is extremely important and people in the North Eastern community should join as it promises to be an uplifting experience. “The puppy raisers get together and do walks and outings with the dogs, so they learn to fit into any environment comfortably. The more puppy raisers we have in our area, the easier these walks are to arrange. Also, as people see guide pups out walking through shops on a regular basis, they will become more accustomed to them, and hopefully blind people with guide dogs will no longer be kicked out of shops by ignorant security guards.”
Read:
Show some love for the guide-dogs
Caxton supports the SA Guide-Dogs Association
Details: www.guidedog.org.za
