Guest blog post by Vanessa
Sobotta, volunteer puppy sitter
My history of volunteering with Susquehanna Service Dogs (SSD)
began about 5 years ago. I had watched a friend of mine, Jane Jackson,
raise SSD Topaz from a puppy, and was very intrigued by the process. Our
family Golden Retriever had passed a few years prior, and my kids were begging
for another dog. While our schedule wasn’t necessarily conducive to adding
another pet to the family, I knew SSD had several programs that my family could
partake in. Among these was puppy hugging.
The first litter we puppy hugged was the Czech litter. From the
moment we sat in the pen with puppies practically rolling over us, the entire
family became hooked. Any puppy is a bundle of joy—multiple puppies,
however, is pure heaven.
I was subsequently introduced to their puppy sitting program. As I
began to learn more about it, I felt sure that it was something my family wanted
to do. I registered to be a puppy sitter, and anxiously awaited our home
visit to be cleared. In the meantime, I attended the necessary
classes. These classes taught the basics of puppy handling (it’s not as
easy as it looks) and clicker training, a necessary part of the puppy’s
training process. Once the home visit was completed and we were cleared
for the program, my family and I were ready to go.
Over the past 5 years, we have been lucky enough to have a dog
stay with us over the Christmas holiday. Our first, SSD Meade, was so much
fun. He really got us hooked on the program. Every time we welcome a pup
into our home I am in awe of the amount of love and work the puppy raisers give
to their dogs. When the dogs are staying with our family, we try to take them
on typical outings to help increase their comfort level with a new daily
routine. Examples of these outings include kids sporting events, grocery
shopping, or to work with me. Depending on the dog, they sleep in either
my son or daughter’s room.
The most surprising part of working with so many dogs is how
different each of their personalities are. Some love to cuddle, while some
prefer to keep to themselves. Some are goofy and playful, while others are
very eager to work. If I’ve learned one thing over the years, it’s that no
two dogs are ever the same.
We have been lucky enough to watch over 30 SSD dogs in training,
some of them more than once. It’s always wonderful to hear when they move
up from their raisers into advanced training, or where they have been placed,
whether it be with the CIA or with their partners.
While our family has not decided to become full time puppy
raisers, we love meeting the numerous dogs and volunteers that make SSD the
outstanding program that it is.
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