Laurier is one of the few Ontario universities that allow guide dogs in training on campus. Could you imagine Laurier without those cute little Golden Hawks walking through the concourse capturing the hearts of so many? I can’t! This year especially there seems to be a large number of working future guide dogs. After seeing them around campus, I looked into the process of becoming a proud owner. The Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides has a fairly straightforward process. Following an online application, you will have an in-home interview. From there, you will be contacted if chosen and given a large manual to read. However, no amount of reading could fully prepare one for the crazy, yet memorable and fun experience that lies ahead.
I am the proud owner of a 6-month old black lab named Odie. He is full of energy and loves meeting new people but is also extremely smart when he isn’t being stubborn. Our mornings usually start around 9 A.M. when we get up for feeding and I take him outside to go “busy-busy” which is what the foundation wants us to call it when he has to go to the bathroom.
There are many rules that I have had to get used to such as Odie having to wear his jacket during feedings to get used to wearing it as well as to understand that when the jacket goes on it means business. We go on quite a few walks during the day where he practices loose leash walking and basic commands such as sit, lay down, and stay/wait. The whole point of training a future guide dog is to socialize them and make them a part of the average university student’s day. This means bringing him to classes, the library for some quality study time, or waiting in the long Starbucks line where all he wants to do is sniff the delicious treats on the shelves. Being on campus all day usually tires him out but he is still just a puppy and needs that quality time to just be loved and act like a puppy.
At the end of the day, although Odie will have to be returned to the foundation (trust me I have tried thinking of ways to steal him), knowing that he will be going on to continue his training and hopefully spend his life helping someone who truly needs him will always be worth those pee-stained carpets and chewed up slippers.