The secret to a wonderful retirement

“I didn't plan on being a breeding dog carer...it just happened by accident, really.”

It's been more than 10 years since Moira made the life changing decision to care for a Seeing Eye Dogs puppy. As a long-time breeder of champion Dobermans, Moira always had a dog by her side; however, when her last Doberman passed away in 2013, she thought that would be it for her and dog caring. After all, she was heading towards retirement and knew she would probably have to downsize into an apartment in the near future, where she thought there wouldn’t be any room for a dog.

That only lasted a few months.

“I was a school teacher, and for one term, I had no dog, and I just felt terrible about that. In my view, my house is not a home without a dog in it.”

This realisation led Moira to Seeing Eye Dogs, where she signed up to be a volunteer puppy carer, with the intention of just doing it once.

Fast forward to 2020, and Moira had raised a total of six Seeing Eye Dogs pups in seven years.

The sixth puppy was a beautiful black Labrador named Natasha, who came to Moira just as the COVID pandemic hit.

“She was my iso baby,” says Moira with a smile. “I live alone, so it was just her and me during all the Victorian lockdowns. So we formed a very strong relationship.”

When Natasha returned to the Seeing Eye Dogs training centre at 12 months of age, her evaluation found that her temperament and health made her the ideal candidate for breeding.

“The Seeing Eye Dogs team asked if I would like to keep her a while so they could breed some puppies from her,” explains Moira. “And that just happened to be at the time when I had just retired, so I got her back. She was only away from me for a few weeks, and then she came back and just stayed and stayed and stayed and she’s still here now. She’s currently napping at my feet actually!”

While Moira says she would have been quite happy to have continued on as a puppy carer, looking after a breeding dog has actually benefitted her life in more ways than she could have ever imagined.

“At the moment, she really gives structure and routine to my life since I've retired. I was the principal of a large school, and there's nothing more structured than living your life by the ringing of bells.

“Because of Natasha, I make sure we go for a long walk every morning. We have coffee and another long walk back, and then at the end of the day we have a walk before dinner. Plus, we train in between.  

“Lots of things are different in my life now, but the things that are the same every day are my responsibilities to her. So, I think that as well as companionship, she gives my life structure and routine.”

As such, in Moira’s opinion, there’s no better way for a person to adjust to retirement than by caring for a Seeing Eye Dogs puppy or breeding dog.

“There is no downside: they’re free, all the food and vet bills are covered, and they have the equivalent of a personal trainer who makes regular visits.

“To anyone who is considering this, I say to them: give it a try and see if you can stop at one. People say, ‘Oh, I couldn't possibly do it. I don't know how you can give them back’. And my answer is always: there's plenty more puppies and dogs in need of care where these come from!”

Despite never intending to volunteer for so long, Moira now can’t imagine having a dog-free house ever again.

“I stumbled into it by accident, but I do believe that things happen for a reason. And this was a great decision for me.

“I loved having the puppies – absolutely loved it. They're so beautiful and cute and all that kind of stuff. But having an older dog, particularly a Seeing Eye Dog with an excellent temperament, it's just a pleasure to live with a dog like that. They’re so easy to train and well behaved.

“I’ve really enjoyed having Natasha in my life.”