Just like with children, raising a puppy for a life of service as a guide dog takes a village.
And for each person who has played a role in seeing a puppy grow into a mature and responsible guide dog, there is no prouder moment than graduation when they take the first steps into their lifelong role.
For a group of South Australians, that moment took place at the recent See Differently Guide Dog graduation, where nine dogs – Lana, Leisel, Maple, Morris, Maddi, Nimble, Oxford, Pia, and Vesper – began their journey of service.
Amidst the celebrations, two special attendees, Mandy and Peter Temple, proudly watched black labrador Lana take the stage, who they had lovingly raised as a puppy volunteer.
Mandy, who had worked with See Differently as an optometrist, and her husband Peter are experienced volunteers, and Lana was their tenth See Differently puppy.
“We called her Lana long-legs, because she never quite grew into them,” Mandy said.
“She is such a sweet, clever and mature girl – we knew she would go onto great things.”
A source of invaluable support has been the connections forged with other puppy volunteer families in their vicinity. Mandy said they formed their own guide dog puppy mother’s group to share their highs and lows.
“I have made great friends through this process,” Mandy said.
“You do get this sense of comradeship because everyone in the same litter is doing the same thing or they have been through it before and know what it feels like.
“If it is raining and you are outside waiting for them to go or you are up in the middle of the night, I always think of all the other volunteers who are probably doing the same thing that I am.”
Lana enjoyed an active life with Mandy and Peter who took her along with them on all of their daily tasks, as well as holidays camping, where she enjoyed her own tent, and on a houseboat.
These early adventures were recorded in a memory book, which was eventually passed onto Lana’s handler, Lisa Cundy.
