Dogs seem to always grab a hold of people’s hearts. Whether it is their adorable faces, the fact that they are “a man’s best friend”, or just overall lovable creatures. So, how to properly take care of your pet should be very important. These creatures deserve the best of the best! 

Trainers go through many ways and tricks into figuring out what works best with each and every type of dog. Dogs can be so helpful for many reasons. For instance, seeing-eye dogs are such a lifesaver when it comes to someone’s day to day helping source. Seeing dogs help the blind with everyday tasks and help guide them around to wherever they need to be.

A woman by the name of Pat Root, located in Perkasie, has taken in many dogs to help train them. She takes them in when they are very very young and goes through the training process with them. When the dog is about four weeks old, they get to go to homes and get trained. Speaking with Pat Root, she informed me how they get them for free for about 15-18 weeks. Once that time is up, they head back to the facility and get examined to see if they made it into the Seeing Eye Dog program.

It isn’t the easiest taking in these dogs to train for the requirements of passing expectations. Mrs. Root had stated that they are, “rewarded with only positivity, no treats.”  The reason for this is that these dogs are expected to be helpful all the time and not bribed with treats to do what they need to get done. There are many commands that need to be used as well in this training process. When taking the dog out, “Park is for the dog to go No.1 and empty is for No.2. This way when the dog is done with their business, their owner knows exactly where to clean up after.

The one dog Pat Root had taken in went by the name of Kierra and had been more of a handful than what she was used to. There was uncertainty if she’d make it into the program or not. They kept strict rules and regulations for Kierra, yet she was still just too young and needed more playtime. She was taken back to puppy camp and then went back to them for a bit.

Even though Kierra had been a handful and tough to deal with, with enough care and patience she ended up making it through all the examinations, being quoted, “one of the best-seeing eye dogs they have seen,”. The final task these dogs need to go through is leading their trainers through New York. If all goes well, then they are good to go and be placed with the blind. Three times Kierra had gone through New York with not a single problem. She had guided the trainer through many people without bumping into a single person the entire time.  Lucky enough, a 30- year-old man had the opportunity to take her in. She is helping this man follow his dream of going to college and fulfilling his dreams.

There is always a chance that dogs don’t pass these tests. These dogs aren’t just to help people with their day to day tasks. If the dog has a medical issue and that is the reason they don’t pass, then the program is responsible to put them through surgery and get them fixed. If that isn’t the case, then either they can be bought for $35,000 by a program and or go into adoption centers. For the blind community, the price to get a hold of a dog is $150. They want everyone to be able to afford them when they absolutely need them for their daily lives. The dogs stay with them for ten years. After that, they can decide to keep the dog and have two to take in or send that dog back to the program where they are put up for adoption and get another newer dog to help with daily tasks.