Boeing<\/a> every day with Reiter\u2019s husband, Don, where he\u2019ll have to learn to sit quietly all day long, like a grown-up guide dog would.<\/p>\n\u201cHe has to learn appropriate behavior,\u201d Reiter says.<\/p>\n
Reiter and her husband have been raising guide puppies for eight years. They are members of PUPS2C4U, a Kent-area, puppy-raising group and though they have their own pet, a St. Bernard show dog named Greta, the Reiters always open their home to new puppy, usually plucked from the \u201cPuppy Truck\u201d and often Labradors.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve just done really well with the program,\u201d she says of the breed.<\/p>\n
But Reiter is insistent that Lipton, like the other puppies they have raised, is not their pet. Unlike Greta, who has free rein of the house, guide dogs are not allowed on furniture and have their own set of rules to follow.<\/p>\n
Though they are in the house and with the family for about a year, Reiter says it is important to not get too attached. After a year, most of the dogs head off for the formal education.<\/p>\n
Before Lipton, the Reiters raised Adam, a black Labrador whom they turned in about the same time they picked up the little ball of golden fur rolling around on the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople always ask how can we give them up,\u201d Reiter says. \u201cIt\u2019s because we get a cute little puppy!<\/p>\n
\u201cBesides,\u201d she continues. \u201cHow can we not give them up when they\u2019re going to help people?\u201d<\/p>\n
Though their success rate is high, Reiter admits that not all of the puppies grow up to take their place at the side of blind human. Some get \u201ccareer changed\u201d because they are \u201ca little too much dog to be a guide dog.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some are used strictly for breeding, while others get adopted out as pets.<\/p>\n
Reiter says her club is always looking for new families to help train the puppies, but insists it takes a patient person.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t get very far when you have a new baby puppy,\u201d she jokes about taking Lipton out with her.<\/p>\n
The dogs are not allowed to play with balls or to fetch, though they can play tug, and Lipton will not be learning any tricks, Reiter says, just \u201cappropriate play.\u201d<\/p>\n
Generally, the puppy-raisers\u2019 jobs are just to teach the dogs to be gentle and \u201cgood citizens,\u201d no matter what situation they are in. And despite the floppy, tail-wagging fun of a new puppy, it is serious business.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to do our best to teach him that,\u201d Reiter says.<\/p>\n
The dogs also are taught to go to the bathroom on a schedule, instead of whenever they feel the urge, since working with the blind means having to adjust their business to the human\u2019s schedule.<\/p>\n
In all, there is a 1-inch thick binder filled with rules and guidelines for raising the dogs, such as not allowing the dogs to take food out of someone\u2019s hand, despite whatever rules Greta may live by.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to follow the protocols of what the program has you do,\u201d Reiter says.<\/p>\n
The Reiters also still stay in contact with the families who have received their dogs over the years, allowing them to remain connected with the four-legged friends that at one time shared their home.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor us it\u2019s just become an extended family,\u201d Reiter says.<\/p>\n
On the floor, Lipton rolls over, rawhide still in mouth. His ears flop to the floor, his tail wags and Reiter reaches over to scratch his belly, proving that while there may be serious business ahead, it\u2019s not all work and no play for the young pup.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe gets to mostly be a puppy,\u201d Reiter says.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Learn more<\/p>\n
PUPS2C4U are always looking for new puppy-raisers. For more information on on the club or to get involved in raising guide puppies, call 253-639-8868 or e-mail pups2c4u@comcast.net.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Like any other 10-week old puppy, Lipton seems to want nothing more than to chase things and chew on something, anything: paws, shoes, toys, newspaper reporters.
\nHe\u2019s not picky.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":223,"featured_media":12204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-12203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12203"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/223"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12203"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12203\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12203"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=12203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}