Wanted: Families to Raise Seeing Eye Pups

To the Editor:
I am sending this because a very special 4-H club of Atlantic and Cape May counties needs special families and individuals to raise a puppy for a program that teaches those special pups to someday guide a blind person.
Since 1942, The Seeing Eye has partnered with 4-H clubs to organize and maintain puppy-raising clubs. These clubs meet regularly to plan outings, provide socialization and share tips on teaching good puppy behavior.
P.P.A.W.S. (People and Puppies at Work for Sight) was formed in 1985. We are a very dedicated group of families from Cape May and Atlantic counties. We accept adult applications, and even though we are part of 4-H, we request that the person attend all our monthly meetings and outings. It is an opportunity for the puppy to be worked by one of the younger members, to help expose the puppy to children.
We raise the pup from 6-weeks-old until the puppy is 14-months-old. We show this special pup as much of the outside world as we can so the puppy can become accustomed to its future work environment. Puppies need to be exposed to things such as car travel, sounds, sudden noises, animals, crowds, slippery floors, stairs and stores so that they will not be intimidated by these things as Seeing Eye dogs.
As a puppy raiser, we know that at 14 months, this day would come of letting go, but seasoned or in between it’s still hard to let the pup go. Deep within our hearts we know that our pup will be playing a very important role in a blind or visually impaired person’s life. So, yes, it is extremely hard to give up this puppy but, we know we are raising our pup to enhance a blind person makes it well worth the hard work.
These wonderful four-legged angels that have touched our lives will be giving their new partners a gift of independence, a freedom a sighted person would never be able to fully understand. As much as we are saddened by their departures, new puppies will be shortly arriving; and our lives will once again be busy with basic training, housebreaking and socialization.
The Seeing Eye offers a scholarship program for any high school senior that has raised at least two puppies for The Seeing Eye, one which was raised during the junior or senior year. The $1,000 scholarship goes to the college of the recipient’s choice.
Remember: You see a puppy….A blind person sees the world.