Career Change Dogs

About 65% of the dogs born, bred, and trained at the Center complete their training and become guide dogs. What happens to the other 35%? These are all wonderful dogs but for one reason or another they are not suitable to be guide dogs. The Center makes sure that these dogs all find some worthwhile job to do. Many of the dogs are given to families with a child with special needs, such as blind, handicapped, or autistic children. Others are returned to their puppy-raisers who give them a loving home. Buffy is one such dog. She was raised by Liliana Geber, who volunteers at the center once each week and participates in the Eliya Program in which puppies and dogs are brought to kindergartens for blind and visually impaired children. So even as a puppy, Buffy was already doing something special. When Buffy was returned to the Center in June of 2013 it became apparent that she was not cut out to be a guide dog, and her puppy raiser Liliana adopted her. Buffy and Liliana are present at many events at the Center, and she continues to bring Buffy to the kindergartens in the Eliya program. Children who interact with Buffy become accustomed to a dog at a young, formative age, and perhaps one day, when they are old enough, they will choose to use a guide dog for mobility. Good luck to Buffy in her career as a petting dog! She is truly doing something very important!

Lilianna and Buffy - Helping blind and visually impaired kindergarteners