DCM Associates is partnering with The Seeing Eye, a nonprofit that trains guide dogs for the blind and visually impaired, to help recruit New Jersey volunteers to raise Seeing-Eye puppies until the dogs are 14 to 16 months old and ready to be returned to The Seeing Eye for more specialized training.
Puppy raisers are volunteer foster families from all walks of life who provide love, care, basic obedience training and social exposure to assist the puppy in becoming a future Seeing Eye dog. Volunteers teach the puppies basic manners and commands and socialize them to a variety of situations and experiences that range from shopping and car rides, to visiting airports and boarding planes.
Seeing Eye foster families must join their local Seeing-Eye clubs and attend the organization’s meetings and outings that help the puppy grow into a confident dog. The Seeing-Eye pays all medical expenses for its puppies, but foster families are responsible for scheduling their puppy’s veterinary care, including required puppy vaccinations.
The Seeing Eye breeds its own dogs for the program: German shepherds, Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers and a cross of the Lab and golden retriever. When the puppies raised by volunteers are returned to The Seeing Eye at the age of 14 to 16 months old, an instructor trains them to be guide dogs for the blind so they can be matched with new owners to help them live independently.
Volunteer puppy raisers must reside in New Jersey, or close to New Jersey in certain counties in Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, or Maryland. For more information, go to The Seeing-Eye’s online Ideal Candidate Profile and Application form. Business owners are asked to spread the word about this rewarding volunteer opportunity with their employees and customers.
DCM Vice Chairman Joseph F. Duffy, and his wife, Carolyn, are active volunteer Seeing Eye puppy raisers. Anyone considering becoming a volunteer puppy raiser who would like to talk to someone who has firsthand experience can contact Duffy at joe@dcm-associates.com.
DCM Associates and The Seeing Eye, headquartered in Morristown, are longtime NJBIA members. The Seeing Eye is a 501(c)3 non-profit supported by contributions from individuals, corporations, foundations, bequests, and other planned gifts. DCM Associates specializes in executive leadership search projects representing a wide variety of nonprofit sectors.
Photo Caption: DCM Associates Vice Chairman Joseph Duffy, his wife, Carolyn, and their Seeing Eye puppy, Kassie. – Photo courtesy of Joseph Duffy.
