This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
12/30/2018 11:00 PMMadison’s Town Campus had a very important visitor today. Her name is Jolee, she is 14 weeks old, has four legs, a tail, and is training for a very important job.
Jolee, a female black Labrador, is a part of Guiding Eyes for The Blind, an organization that provides guide dogs to people with vision loss. Before the dogs go into formal training, they stay with volunteers charged with puppy raising. According to the organization’s website, “raisers are responsible for nurturing a puppy to prepare it for guide dog training. Raisers care for our young dogs and equip them with the skills they need to take on a job that will change someone’s life.”
Jolee currently lives with a puppy raiser couple in Madison, but is spending the week with a temporary sitter, Madison’s Town Clerk Nancy Martucci. Martucci said it is a great way to help out.
“For me, I am a sitter so I just do it on short-term because people need sitters,” she said. “So I do it when it is convenient for me and when people need it.”
The puppies stay with puppy raisers for the first 16 to 18 months of their life. Martucci said while Madison is fortunate to have a couple of families in town who participate in this program, more are always welcome.
“If anyone wants to make a New Year’s resolution and they think they might be interested in helping, that would be awesome,” she said.
Anyone interested can contact Guiding Eyes for The Blind Southern Connecticut Regional Director Maureen Hollis at 845-490-0143 or mhollis@guidingeyes.org.