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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Her SUV was stolen in Montreal. A Good Samaritan on Facebook helped her get it back
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.