R AISING A G UIDE D OG P UPPY By: Rachael Kennedy 1 Picture by Patrick Kennedy

M Y P ROJECT Raising and training a guide dog puppy. I chose to get my puppy from the organization of Guide Dogs for the Blind 2 Picture by Patrick Kennedy

G UIDE D OGS FOR THE B LIND : H ISTORY School created in May of 1942 by Lois Merrihew and Don Donaldson after WWII for service men who were injured in war First opened in a rented home in Los Gatos, California In, 1947 moved to San Rafael, California In,1995 opened another campus in Boring, Oregon 3 This is a photo of the visitor’s center at the Oregon Campus.

G UIDE D OGS FOR THE B LIND Non- Profit organization Receives all money from donations from private individuals and corporations or from bequests The dogs are provided to the visually impaired people at no cost to them Each dog after fully trained is worth over $60,000 4 Picture by Patrick Kennedy

W HAT WAS I NVOLVED : O VERVIEW Received puppy at 8 weeks old Went to weekly puppy meetings until the age of 5 months Continued to attend meetings twice a month thereafter Completed report each month Socialized and trained the puppy on a daily basis 5 Picture by Patrick Kennedy

6 The puppy must learn twelve commands: sit, wait, stay, down, come, that’s enough, do your business, kennel, stand, go to bed, okay, and let’s go. The puppy must be able to handle stressful situations with appropriate behavior. C LOSE U P : T O BE R ECALLED Picture by Patrick Kennedy

G EORGE ’ S R ECALL Recalled on March 21, 2009 at Cabalas in Lacy, WA Returned with eight other dogs Currently at the Boring Campus in Phase 5 out of 10! 7 Picture by Patrick Kennedy

S TATISTICS Only 40% of the dogs become guides The other 60% become therapy dogs, search and rescue dogs, police dogs, diabetes dogs, or amazing pets 8 deleonfreepress.com

N EW L EARNING Responsibility Time Management Patients 9 Picture by Patrick Kennedy

C ONCLUSION THANK YOU: Melissa Barnum, All Paws for Independence Members, My Parents, Ms. Monaghan, andYOU! 10

B IBLIOGRAPHY All about De Leon, Texas and the surrounding area May Guide Dogs for the Blind: Pairing blind people with Guide Dogs since May Harrington, Paula. Guide Dogs for the Blind: Looking Ahead. San Rafael: Sandler/Becker, Inc., Methodist Rehabilitation Center. 16 May