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 Foreign meddling 'did not affect' overall federal election results: inquiry report
Foreign interference by China did not affect the overall results of the 2019 and 2021 general elections won by Justin Trudeau's Liberals, a federal commission of inquiry has found.
BREAKING Police arrest 3 in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Why your airfare may be getting more expensive
Skyrocketing airfare prices are linked to heightened competition and rising food and fuel, according to the CAA.
WATCH LIVE Funeral today for broadcasting legend and voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada' Bob Cole
A funeral is being held today for hockey broadcasting legend Bob Cole in his hometown of St. John's, N.L.
Magnitude 4.8 earthquake recorded west of Vancouver Island
A 4.8-magnitude earthquake was reported west of Vancouver Island Thursday evening.
Who is Hope Hicks, longtime Trump aide who is testifying in N.Y. hush money case?
Hope Hicks, once a longtime trusted aide in Donald Trump’s inner circle, is testifying Friday in the New York hush money trial after being subpoenaed.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto incident caught on video
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
How falling for a stranger she met on a beach led this woman to ditch the U.S. for the French Riviera
Niki Benjamin, from the U.S., had travelled to a paradise island to do some soul searching, and her life ended up going in a very different direction when her dog ran up to a stranger.