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Leading the Blind Raising guide dogs in Central Oregon
By Michelle Bazemore Some dogs are born with a higher purpose, sniffing out explosive devices, rescuing
trapped avalanche victims, or pulling a sled of crucial supplies across a frozen tundra. Such was the case with Laker, a black lab pup, and one of dozens of dogs who has been raised for the Guide Dogs for the Blind program by local families. “He’s a really special dog,” says Megan Minkiewicz, Lakers former caregiver. “I never thought he had it in him to be a guide dog, but seeing him at graduation—he was meant to be a guide dog!” Although, Minkiewicz is a veteran “puppy raiser” for Guide Dogs for the Blind—she
grew up raising guide dogs and with her husband, Alex, has raised five puppies—she says returning Laker to GDB in Boring, Oregon, for his formal training wasn’t easy. “They all have a bigger purpose in this world,” Minkiewicz says. “It was hard to let him go, but seeing him playing with his blind partner at graduation made it all worth it.” Minkiewicz is now raising six-month-old Arden, another black lab. At any given time, there are around six puppies being raised in Bend by individuals and
families, all who know their time with each dog will be relatively short. Puppy raisers usually receive a puppy when it’s two months old. Depending on the readiness of each dog; it will be returned to the GDB campus when it is between 14 and 18 months old. Puppy raisers are used to the obvious question: How do you give your puppies up? “Go
into it knowing you’re doing it for a purpose,” says Jennifer Brewer, the leader of Paws 4 A Cause, a Bend-based club for GDB puppy raisers. “And [always remember] that you’ll have to say goodbye to them.” Raising puppies in Bend is not without its challenges. “There are lots of dogs running
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off-leash,” says Minkiewicz. “Guide dog puppies are not allowed off-leash in unenclosed areas. It’s a little scary when a dog runs up to your six-month old puppy,” she says. Off-leash dogs also pose other problems—one of the biggest challenges for working guide dogs is attacks. Just one attack on a guide dog—harnessed and working for its blind partner—by an unleashed dog can abruptly end the guide dog’s career because it may become less confident as a result. Even if an approaching dog is friendly, they are not always a welcome distraction. “Our main job is not so much obedience training as it is social training,” explains Brewer. “The etiquette is to ask, especially if you see a working dog wearing a coat and identification. It’s fine to ask if you can pet the dog, but keep in mind we’re trying to teach them to sort of ignore people.” This focused discipline prepares the puppies for a lifetime of dutiful service to people
whose lives are transformed by their unique partnership. Minkiewicz recently heard from Laker’s blind partner, who thanked her for raising the puppy. He said getting Laker was the best decision of his life. “He said to me, ‘When I got on the plane with Laker today, people talked to me. I’m no longer invisible.’”
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