Calgarians needed to help raise guide dogs: 'Who doesn't love a puppy?'

The Canada's National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) is looking for caring Calgarians to help raise future guide dogs.

The puppies grow up to help those who are blind or visually impaired, providing stability and support.

"What we're trying to do is make sure that anybody in Canada who wants or needs a guide dog has an opportunity to get one," said Diane Bergeron, president of CNIB guide dogs. 

"We've already put out approximately 70 guide dogs across the country since we started (in 2017)." 

In Calgary, there are currently 11 volunteers, but CNIB is hoping to expand that pool of puppy raisers. 

"Who doesn't love a puppy? Everybody loves a puppy," said Bergeron. 

"When you can have a puppy and know that at the end of that training cycle, that dog isn't just hanging out as a pet … But that dog is going to go on to do bigger and greater things and give back to somebody and help somebody out. I think it's a really rewarding opportunity."

Puppy raiser Ann Pan has been raising her black lab Beacon for eight months.

The pup is in the middle of his training cycle, before being rehoused with a client late this summer into early fall. 

"Beacon is going to be a life changer," Pan said. 

"He is going to help someone that is either blind or visually impaired, and I think it's really important, because he will help someone have mobility that they wouldn't previously have had."

CNIB needs Calgary volunteers to help raise guide dog puppies. Pan says it’s hard not to create a loving bond with the dogs, but the value they can bring others is priceless.

"One of the questions I'm always asked when I'm out and about is, 'How can you give them away?' And I let people know I've gone into with a mentality that this isn't my dog," said Pan. 

"However, for the year that I'm puppy raising this dog, I'm going to give as much love and energy and all those things to this dog, and I am going to allow my family to bond with this dog as well, knowing that at the end of it, we are trying to do our best to help raise a great animal to benefit someone else."

For Bergeron, she says her golden retriever Carla has changed her life. 

"Without her, I wouldn't be who I am," she said. "Without the dogs I've had over the years, I wouldn't be who I am. And without the puppy raisers, that wouldn't have even been possible."

CNIB has more information on its website about how you can become a puppy raiser.