IT’S said a dog never forgets its previous owners. And when experienced guide dog puppy raisers Graham and Karen Hosie spotted a labrador they had looked after at a special ceremony to mark Guide Dogs Australia’s 60th anniversary in Hobart, they noticed a glint in its eye.
“He recognised us and was trying to make eye contact,” said Hobart retiree Graham.
“As soon as his new owner took off his Guide Dogs harness – a signal that he was ‘off work’ – he got really excited and came to say hello; his tail was going round like a helicopter.”
Graham and Karen were among the volunteers who joined clients, supporters, staff and dogs from Guide Dogs Tasmania at Government House on International Guide Dog Day on April 26 to celebrate six decades of the organisation.
Karen and Graham have been puppy raising and boarding for Guide Dogs Tasmania since 1997, when the first litter of pups arrived in the state.
The former senior biologist with the Australian Antarctic Division started raising guide dog puppies after the couple’s English setter died 20 years ago. Since then, they’ve lost count of the number of dogs they’ve had through their doors.
The Hosies would take them in at eight weeks until they were about 18 months when they go off for formal training.
Now they house older dogs and drop them off at “school” (a nearby guide dog trainer) during the week.
“With puppies, the principle challenge is to establish their feeding, toileting and sleeping patterns,” Graham said.
“We use a whistle so they learn to eat and go to the toilet on command. This is really important for someone who is visually impaired, who uses sound to call the dogs.”
Graham said all the dogs the couple has looked after, either as puppies or as boarders, are unique. “They all have different personalities, and with the training some get it and others just don’t!”
Another important role as a puppy raiser is to socialise the dogs. “We take them to the shops, cinemas, restaurants, on buses and trains, and even to concerts. It’s all about getting them used to all situations so they’re not distracted.”
The Hosies are looking forward to many more years working with these clever canines.
And what advice does Graham have for anyone considering doing the same?
“Be prepared to lose a lot of sleep in the first few weeks.
“But it is very rewarding. And for people who want to support a charity, but don’t have money to donate, this is a way of helping by donating your time.”
All 16 pups currently in the program took part in a parade at the celebration.
Guide Dogs Australia was formed as the National Association of Guide Dogs for the Blind Australia.
The first guide dog to be trained in Tasmania was Rumpus, a black labrador whose handler was George Grainger, chief telephonist with the Hydro-Electric Commission in Hobart.
George had trained with a guide dog in England but couldn’t bring his canine with him when he emigrated to Australia.
Since 1957, Guide Dogs Australia has placed hundreds of dogs with people who are blind or vision impaired.
In Tasmania, six to eight pups are placed each year with puppy raisers until they are ready to begin their formal training.
Today, there are 20 working guide dogs in the state.
- 1800-484-333, guidedogstas.com.au