By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
IT WAS a plea for volunteer puppy carers in the Independent last year that first alerted Natasha Parkin to the idea.
“We were talking about getting a dog and caring for a Seeing Eye Dogs Australia pup seemed like the perfect way to test the waters,” Natasha laughed.
The Newtown family, including husband Lyle and children Eric and Alice, were matched with a sweet-natured black Labrador named Connie.
Connie accompanied Natasha to work at Deakin University where the students loved having her in their tutorials.
“They even bought Connie thank you gifts at the end of the semester,” Natasha said.
Connie visited many public places including parks, cafes and the cinema, which all helped with her socialisation.
“You don’t need to have any experience with dogs. In fact, we’ve learned a lot from having Connie,” Natasha explained.
“It’s been a learning curve but the support we get from the SEDA puppy trainers is fantastic. They’re always available on the phone if need be.
“They’re inside dogs, so you don’t need a big backyard and you don’t a high level of fitness because taking them for walks is not too strenuous.
“It’s a key time for basic socialisation and becoming familiar with different environments, noises and situations they’ll encounter as a working dog.”
The Parkins have just said goodbye to Connie after completing her initial care but almost immediately welcomed Angela for the next 12 months.
“It was very sad saying goodbye to Connie,” Nathasha said.
“She was really well behaved and a gorgeous girl but we have no time to wallow in grief. Angela is just as gorgeous – we all fell in love with her immediately.”
Natasha said the family was happy to take it one dog at a time but looked forward to receiving updates on how Connie fares through her formal training.
Each Seeing Eye Dog costs around $35,000 to train. Vision-impaired people face a year-long waiting list for the dogs.
With SEDA covering all costs, the program requires volunteers to care for a puppy in their home from eight weeks until they are about 12 months old.
