Paws for a moment
Winter 2013
Cover photo: A dog’s day out – our Seeing Eye Puppies enjoy special outings with
their carers and Puppy Field Officers while they’re learning about the big city…
See inside for more heart-warming news!
Inside:
 How we match our dogs to clients
 lLooking for more puppy carers
 Nancy’s helping Claire to help others
Official publication of Seeing Eye Dogs Australia
Paws for a Moment – Winter 2013
Puppy sponsorship tally
The breeding, caring, training and graduation of our puppies simply wouldn’t be possible
without our invaluable Puppy Sponsors who support us all over Australia. It’s an expensive
process and your regular monthly donations help us plan ahead to try and meet the
increasing need.
We currently have 12,421 people enjoying tracking the development of Seeing Eye
Dogs on their individual journeys.
They receive personalised updated letters from their pups along with photographs as they
watch them grow and develop.
If you or anyone you know would like to join the wonderful group of sponsors please call
1800 42 20 77 for more information!
Thank you from the bottom of our PAWS to all our sponsors!
Thank you to our volunteers
Volunteers give so much to Vision Australia and each May during National Volunteer
Week we take time out to say thank you.
As we do not get any government funding for our Seeing Eye Dogs, we rely on donations,
and the goodwill of our volunteers. They include our puppy carers who help raise the
amazing Seeing Eye Dogs of the future. A big thanks too, to the breeder carers who
care for the special mothers who give birth to our pups and to the temp carers who look
after dogs in training, as well as our kennel volunteers.
Our Speakers Network volunteers, our vollies who take clients on outings, and our wonderful
admin and reception volunteers, all make invaluable contributions to Vision Australia.
Simply put, without our 300-odd volunteers who give us the precious gift of time, we would
not be able to do what we do.
We expect the demand for our services to double by 2020. The Seeing Eye Dog facility is
currently undergoing a major redevelopment to help us meet this demand. Soon we will
have twice as many pups as usual coming through the facility and we are desperate for
puppy carers! Call 1800 03 77 73 if you’re interested in becoming a puppy carer.
Leigh Garwood
General Manager
Seeing Eye Dogs, Orientation & Mobility Division (SEDOM)

Cover: A ball was had by all when a group of our Seeing Eye puppies and their
volunteer carers went walkies through the streets and parks of Melbourne.
Our puppies are trained by both their carers and the Puppy Field Officers who assist
with their development. A trip to the city allows pups to experience public transport and
Paws for a Moment – Winter 2013
a busier environment and to work on basic obedience and distraction control. For more
information on becoming a volunteer puppy carer, call 1800 03 77 73 or visit
www.seda.org.au
THE WORK YOU HELP US DO
Making a perfect match
A Seeing Eye Dog can be a much better option for some people who are blind or have low
vision than a cane, but Seeing Eye Dogs aren’t suitable for everyone. Here is how we
assess who will most benefit from having a dog guide. Sadly, there is always a waiting list
for our Seeing Eye Dogs.
Our applicants undergo a formal assessment which includes a medical examination to
ensure they are healthy enough to care for a Seeing Eye Dog and if that is fine they move
to an interview process. The interviews build information on the person’s needs and
lifestyle so that we can match dogs and people – dogs are all individuals, too!
Our instructors visit the places where the dog will be spending time – is it urban or rural,
what areas are regularly visited, as well as the home area of the client. This allows us to
determine the size, speed and strength of the dog suited to that person.
Then the waiting starts – at present it can be between six and 12 months for the right dog
to become available. We are working hard to fundraise and to find more volunteer puppy
carers to reduce that long wait.
Once the person is successfully matched with their Seeing Eye Dog, they progress to
more formal training, either in their home or at a residential training centre. Instructors
remain in regular contact to make sure the new partnership is working effectively. A
Seeing Eye Dog can work for up to a decade before they are retired.
Seeing Eye Dogs are not just a wonderful help in allowing people to get around safely, they
also provide constant companionship which alleviates the effects of loneliness or depression.
Meet & greet our puppies
Our wonderful Queensland puppy sponsors will have a very special opportunity to visit
their sponsored puppies at the SEDA Meet & Greet day.
Held on Saturday 31 August, alongside the Vision Australia Texpo event, donors will also
be able to find out about other ways we help the blind and low vision community. Visit
www.visionaustralia.org for more information.
Australia’s favourite librarian
Meet one of the candidates for Australia’s favourite librarian: a dog guide called Somers.
He’s been supporting Jamie Kelly at the Vision Australia Library since 2007. Nominated by
the library team for his ability to boost team morale, Somers has proven to be a great
Paws for a Moment – Winter 2013
listener who is always willing to get involved. Always first to volunteer, Somers is a strong
promoter of library services, and has been a terrific advocate of reading, especially for kids.
Now, after many years of ‘going to work’, Somers is retiring to a well-earned rest. His
cheerful presence will be missed at the library.
OUT AND ABOUT
Puppies on parade
Two of our very special Seeing Eye Puppies recently had an exciting time on television,
appearing on Channel Nine’s Today show with hosts Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson.
Oh yes, the general manager of Seeing Eye Dogs Orientation and Mobility, Leigh
Garwood was there too – but the puppies were stars!
This special appearance by these two puppies, who have been named ‘Karl’ and ‘Lisa’,
was to promote the need for more volunteer puppy carers so that we can train more
Seeing Eye Dogs to reduce our long waiting list.
Over the next few months, some of our Seeing Eye Dogs and staff will be travelling to
various offices around Australia – watch this space or visit our website (www.seda.org.au).
We will be promoting our visits through local media to encourage members of the public to
attend and learn more about our wonderful Seeing Eye Dogs, as well as inviting clients
who might be eligible for a dog guide to come and talk to us.
There will be trial walks, demonstrations and information promoting the amazing things our
Seeing Eye Dogs can do. We hope you’ll be able to join us.
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Paws for a Moment – Winter 2013
PUPPY CARER PROFILE
Jocelyn and Phil
When Jocelyn Carr walked away from a stressful job, she knew she was ready for some
big changes. She spotted a Vision Australia brochure about becoming a puppy carer in a
coffee shop and something clicked. “I thought, wow, that’s something I’d love to do.”
So she got in touch with Vision Australia and a few weeks later, Phil, an eight-week old
chocolate brown Labrador, arrived on her doorstep. “He’s absolutely gorgeous,” says
Jocelyn, “and we bonded straight away.”
As Phil grows up, they’re venturing out in the world together on buses, ferries and trains.
They’ve even gone camping!
There’s puppy training at home and a weekly visit from a Seeing Eye Dogs Australia
puppy trainer.
“It’s a great feeling of satisfaction to see him learning,” says Jocelyn. “I know he’s going to
be a great guide. I really want him to do well and to change somebody’s life one day.”
Got room for one more?
Being a Seeing Eye Dog puppy carer is one of the most wonderful ways to volunteer in our
organisation. We are always in need of kind carers to take in an extra family member for
around 12 months before they can start formal training.
You and your family will experience all the joy of caring for an adorable little puppy while
knowing that you are playing a vital role in the process of helping someone to be free and
independent to live their life to the fullest. We’ll cover all the associated costs and support
you through the process.
To find out more about becoming a puppy carer call 1800 03 77 73 or visit
www.seda.org.au
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Paws for a Moment – Winter 2013
STAFF PROFILE
Training not just dogs, but staff
Gail Taylor has worked with Seeing Eye Dogs Orientation and Mobility for five years as
Senior Dog Trainer and Staff Educator.
“I like working with the different temperaments of the dogs,” says Gail. “Every day it’s a
pleasure to be with my dogs who love their training! It’s a great feeling to see them
progress and take on the responsibility of guiding.
“My job is rewarding as I know that the dogs are going to move on to help give independence
to someone with a vision impairment.”
But it’s not just the dogs who benefit from Gail’s training; she’s also responsible for educating
staff who do any form of dog handling, from trainee instructors, to kennel staff to volunteers.
Outside of work Gail still has plenty of canine responsibilities, as Eadie the Seeing Eye PR
dog lives with her and goes to work with her at Kensington.
“I enjoy taking Eadie to doggy dancing and agility classes and I also teach obedience at
two local dog clubs,” says Gail. “I also enjoy reading and going out for meals.”
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OUR GENEROUS SUPPORTERS
Brenda’s pup
Whenever Brenda Kennard of Dorrigo received news about Kara and Cooper, the puppies
she supported through Vision Australia, her niece Joanne and her great-nieces Maya and
Rhiannon heard about it soon after.
Brenda had a long history in the community sector stretching back to working with
refugees in the 1970s.
“She was a very giving woman, very charitable – and she really loved the puppies,”
remembers Joanne. “There was always a picture of the dogs on the fridge and Brenda
took great pleasure in sharing the latest on their progress with her family.”
Paws for a Moment – Winter 2013
Brenda died earlier this year and left a generous bequest to Vision Australia for a full
puppy sponsorship.
Joanne and her daughters have been made guardians of the puppy, who the girls have
named Romey.
The family is “honoured and happy” to have been named guardian, says Joanne, and they
are very appreciative to the Vision Australia team for having gone all out to ensure that the
puppy lives close enough for them to visit.
Litter box
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Mitchell and Molly – Labrador
Sire: Rafferty
Dam: Polly
Whelped: 12/12/2012
Nathan, Newton, Nudge, Nester, Nando, Neesha and Nora – Labrador
Sire: Brig
Dam: Lou Lou
Whelped: 26/02/2013
Orlando, Odin, Orville, Ohara and Olympia – Labrador X Golden Retriever
Sire: Quimby
Dam: India
Whelped: 23/02/2013
Phil, (P)Dusty and Pippa – Labrador
Sire: Alfie
Dam: Ella
Whelped: 3/03/2013
Quentin, Quito, (Q)Angela and (Q)Cindy – Labrador
Sire: Brig
Dam: Bryndal
Whelped: 27/03/2013
Ramsay, Rennie, Rogan, Rundal, Ruf, Rodger, (R)Becky, Rosie and (R)Sponsor
(not named yet) – Golden Retriever
Sire: Izzy
Dam: Ursa
Whelped: 28/03/2013
S Litter (5 boys & 2 girls, not named yet) – Labrador
Sire: Jagger
Dam: Ruby
Whelped: 31/03/2013
T Litter (3 boys & 2 girls, not named yet) – Labrador
Sire: Nemo
Dam: Izzy
Whelped: 11/04/2013
Uno – Golden Retriever
Sire: Quimby
Dam: Ulla
Whelped: 24/04/2013
Paws for a Moment – Winter 2013
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(V)Karl, Victor, (V)Romey and (V)Lisa – Golden Retriever
Sire: Quimby
Dam: Jenna
Whelped: 14/04/2013
THE PEOPLE YOU HELP
Claire and Nancy
At 24, Claire has already achieved more than most people do in a lifetime. An
accomplished para-equestrian and a professional animal masseuse, her passion is to help
other people.
Claire is partially sighted as a result of a rare degenerative disease which also affects her
bones and joints. Like many people with a degenerative disease, Claire started out using a
white cane. As her symptoms spread, she needed something more help. “The side-to-side
movement of the cane was causing me too much pain,” says Claire. “Having someone
there to lead me around all the time just wasn’t an option.”
Seeing Eye Dogs Australia was able to partner Claire with a lively golden retriever called
Nancy – and help make her dream to open a riding school for people with disabilities come
true. “Without Nancy I would never have done it,” says Claire.
Nancy has given Claire the independence and confidence to venture out into the world
alone and to launch her business. Having a Seeing Eye Dog has changed her life, she
says, and she’s grateful to the donors who made it possible. “I think that anyone who
supports Seeing Eye Dogs is just an amazing person,” says Claire.
New graduates since December 2012
Client
Trent
Cameron
Narrelle
Robert
Frances
Kirsty
Rhiannon
John
Jordan
State
VIC
ACT
ACT
ACT
WA
VIC
NSW
VIC
Qld
Dog name
Fisher
Cooper
Vollie
Quartz
Queenie
Wally
Kingy
Olly
Ekka
Breed
Lb
LbxGR
Lb
Lb
Lb
Lb
Lb
Lb
LbxGR
Sex
M
M
F
F
F
M
M
M
M
Puppy Carer
Scott Clark
Pauline Henry
Alison & Brian Jones
Madeleine Mandelbaum
Colin McKinlay
Customs
Customs
Customs
Christine Maxwell-Bonney
GR (Golden Retriever) Lb (Labrador) LbxGR (Labrador & Golden Retriever)
To donate to Seeing Eye Dogs Australia call 1800 42 20 77 or visit www.seda.org.au