Hazards

It's a dangerous world out there and there are many items that pose a hazard to our pups. But here a couple of items that, while they might seem innocuous at first glance, can be a safety hazard.


Pennies. Pennies minted after 1983 are made of a little bit of copper coating and a whole lot of zinc interior. If a dog swallows a penny, the stomach acid will eat away the copper and expose the zinc, which is then absorbed into the dog's system. Zinc toxicity can cause a dangerous and potentially fatal blood disorder where the red blood cells are destroyed. Zinc toxicity can occur after ingesting as few as 1 to 3 pennies. If your dog swallows pennies, induce vomiting and call your vet ASAP.


Cocoa mulch. We all know that chocolate can be toxic to dogs. This is due to a chemical in the cocoa bean. The Hershey company makes a mulch out of cocoa bean shells that is widely available. It has a sweet smell and is very attractive to dogs. If your dog eats this mulch, a toxic reaction can occur. Take the dog to the vet.

Puppies, especially Labs, will eat anything that doesn't eat them first. It's up to us to keep a close eye on our pups and keep them safe.

August Class Matches

Another class is in session here at Southeastern and this past Tuesday was match day. The following dogs were matched:

Ace SCCM, raised by Gainesville IMPACT
Chief BLM, raised by Don & Teresa Pool, Dallas
Esther, BLF, raised by Hannah & Dee Wolters, Nashville
Penny GRF, raised by Randy & Mary Ann Kerr, Brooksville
Magic YLM, raised by Dan & Linda Erwin, Lakeland/Winter Haven
Taz BLM, raised by Fran Shepherd, Nashville

Home placements this month:
Faith SCCF, raised by Marion Luquette, Bradenton
Horace AUSM, raised by Julee Garrett, Cocoa Beach

Congratulations! See you at Puppy Raiser day!

Southeastern Guide Dogs in Times Square

Sandy Mann is one of our Group Leaders in West Palm Beach. She raised SCC Paul, who was recently career changed and adopted back by Sandy. We received this message from Sandy earlier this week regarding her daughter Jessie and Paul:

"Jessie and Paul are "famous" and will help promote Buddy Walks and (Southeastern Guide Dogs) nationwide by appearing as one of 200 photos (out of 2500 entries) that will appear on the big panorama screen in Times Square! The photo will be part of a video of photos that will run in Times Square on the larger-than-life Newscorp Astrovision by Panasonic on Sunday, September 28 at 10:30am."

According to its website, "The Buddy Walk was established in 1995 to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Downs Syndrome." For more information on this program check here: http://www.buddywalk.org/

Congratulations to Sandy, Jessie and Paul!

The Value of Evals

Puppy raisers are expected to fill out evaluations on their puppies 5 times over the course of having the pup. You'd think that with over 200 puppies on program, PuppyLand HQ would be awash in evaluations. Sadly, this is not the case. Currently, less than 50% of puppy raisers turn in all of the required evaluations.

I think I may know the reason. I'm often asked "who reads these things?" I have a sneaky feeling that a lot of raisers think the evals are filed away, never to see the light of day again.

Let me emphatically tell you that is not the case. The evaluations you fill out play a very important part in the dog's training, not only while in the puppy program, but once the dog goes IFT as well. Each evaluation is reviewed by both the Area Coordinator and Puppy Raising Services staff to make sure that the puppy is progressing well and there are no serious problems or issues. Once the dog is IFT, trainers read the evaluations for each dog when they start their new string. This gives the trainers an idea of any behavior or exposure issues that may need to be addressed. It also provides a history of behaviors and exposures that are very helpful when assessing the dog.

Another misperception may be that we use these forms to evaluate the puppy raiser. Not true! We use a completely different form for that...... Kidding!! Only kidding.

Please be as honest as possible on these evals. And if you're not sure if you should be concerned about something - include it on the evaluation. We're here to help and we want to provide guidance and suggestions for helping correct inappropriate behavior.

Evaluations are a valuable tool in the process of creating guide dogs. Please do your part to help train the best guide dogs possible.

Meet Walter & Duchess

My name is Andrea Early and I'm the development coordinator at Southeastern Guide Dogs. One of the things I love most about my job is that I get to write stories about how much our dogs and training programs--and you as our puppy raisers--help change people's lives.

Occasionally, I will be sharing these stories with you, like this one about recent graduate Walter Daniel and his guide Duchess (pictured left). Andrea and Mark Heegle raised Duchess in Austin, Texas; she is the third puppy they have raised for Southeastern Guide Dogs.

Here is the story of Walter and Duchess:

A Terrific Teacher and a Great Teacher's Aide

Walter Daniel recently retired after 30 years of teaching 3rd and 5th graders in some of Alabama’s best schools, but he still works daily as a math and reading tutor at Minor Elementary School near his home in Birmingham.

Walter was born with limited vision, but that didn't stop him for pursuing his dream of becoming a teacher. “I went through the Birmingham public schools with assistance from some great teachers,” he says. “That’s why I wanted to be one.”

Walter arrived at our campus on July 6. A day later, he met his first-ever guide dog, Duchess. “The trainers took into account that I work with children,” says Walter. “They matched me with a kind, petite, and gentle dog.”

Walter trained with Duchess at our school until July 26. Now he is preparing to return to Minor Elementary with his new four-pawed assistant.

“Life with Duchess has exceeded my expectations,” he says. “She has boosted my trust in myself - and she’ll make a great teacher’s aide!”

Um, May I Have That Leash Please...

Today's post is from the Training Department. One of the trainers said they wanted to get some info out to the puppy raisers and I said "Blog it!!" So here it is:

Admit it, how cute is it when we see a puppy or an adult dog carrying a leash around in their mouth? And what do we say when we see it..."look how smart he is!" Most of the dogs we raise here at Southeastern Guide Dogs are retrievers that love to have something in their mouth, including the leash if it's accessible. The problem with this is that the pup can develop a bad habit or even an obsessive behavior. This can also lead to the dog being mouthy overall and a behavior that may not be reversible. If you see this behavior in your pup, please discourage it. If it continues, please seek help from the puppy department. After all, we all know our pups are the smartest around, do we really need them to carry the leash to prove it?

Home Again

Well, I'm back in the Sunshine State and the 2008 Great Northern Tour is history. On Sunday I attended the inaugural meeting of the Columbia, SC puppy raiser group. Co-ACs Suzette Williams and Karen Newsome have broken off from the Charlotte, NC group in hopes of growing the Columbia region. They are off to a good start with 3 dogs. Guide dog user Lin Hunnicut, his wife and his dog Major also attended the meeting and plan to help with presentations to recruit raisers.

Yesterday I had lunch in Ridgeland, SC with the most of Hilton Head group: Steve Clarke, his wife Winnie and puppy raiser Susan Souder with Parker. They are small, but going strong. Susan gave me a few of the "trading cards" that she has made about her dogs. They are very cool and I'll make sure to bring them to the AC workshop.

I had a great time and enjoyed meeting everyone. Thanks to all of you for your hospitality. We really do have the best puppy raisers. Thanks for being part of the Southeastern Guide Dogs family.