The many joys of puppy caring

When asked about her motivation for becoming a Seeing Eye Dogs volunteer puppy carer, Marilyn is delightfully honest.

“We're just dog tragics,” says Marilyn with a laugh. “To a certain extent, we've always had dogs. I had about four dogs when I was growing up, and my husband always had a dog.  

“From the time we were married, we started out with a black Labrador. Then we decided we would get a German Shorthaired Pointer, because we wanted to have two dogs, and then we decided we'd breed German Shorthaired Pointers. It wasn't until our last one died that we thought, ‘Oh, what are we going to do?’ It is dreadful being dog-free!”

By sheer chance, Marilyn was then introduced to the Seeing Eye Dogs volunteer puppy carer program when she stumbled across our stand at the Royal Melbourne Show.

That was ten years ago, and Marilyn and her husband are now currently raising their ninth Seeing Eye Dogs puppy, named Chai. 

“We have a couple of months break [after each puppy starts their formal training], and then back into the whirlwind again,” says Marilyn warmly.

Despite so many years of experience with dogs and puppy raising, Marilyn stresses that every dog is different – so she absolutely cannot choose a favourite.

“They're all different, they really are. We've had Labradors, we've had Golden Retrievers, we’ve had everything. Not one of them has been the same as the next one.

“I couldn't compare them, and we can't say this one's better than another one. They've all got their own little idiosyncrasies.”

What has remained the same over these ten years as a volunteer is the joy and purpose these puppies provide.

“This is our way of giving back a little bit,” says Marilyn.  

Sometimes, a Seeing Eye Dog will go to a companion organisation as an assistance dog.  

"One dog went to a lady who was diagnosed with MS. I heard from her, and she told me she can now walk because the dog walks with her.”

As an additional bonus, being a volunteer puppy carer also helps Marilyn to keep herself active.

“For retired people, it's one of the best things you can do. It really is, because it works two ways. I'm out walking every day, and you can take them almost everywhere.”

With so many benefits, it’s no wonder Marilyn and her husband have no plans to stop raising Seeing Eye Dogs puppies any time soon.

“We just absolutely love dogs,” says Marilyn. “It's like raising little kids, it's the first 12 months to two years that grounds them for the rest of their life.  

“If we can give the pups some nice, relaxed, loving company and all the rest of it, it just puts them on the right track.”