Roxy has been attending council meetings with puppy-raiser Patrick Holmes. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Roxy has been attending council meetings with puppy-raiser Patrick Holmes. Photo / Michael Cunningham
As the Guide Dog Puppy Appeal Week begins, a Whangārei District Councillor is preparing to say goodbye to the puppy he has been fostering since she was nine weeks old.
Roxy, an 11-month-old guide dog puppy, has been going everywhere with Patrick Holmes, including to meetings in the council chambers.
“She was just a bundle of fluff when we got her,” Holmes said.
She turns one early next month and is heading back to the kennels to be fully trained as a guide dog next week, although this happens when the dog is ready, rather than when they reach a certain age.
“The role of a puppy-raiser - I’m not a professional trainer - is to raise a balanced, socialised, confident puppy,” the councillor for Whangārei Heads said.
Roxy is used to spending time in the council chambers with her foster dad, Cr Patrick Holmes. Photo / Michael Cunningham
“It’s hugely fulfilling because you’re helping to secure the independence and mobility of a vision-impaired person, to allow them to live a full and unimpeded life.”
Roxy is the first guide dog puppy Holmes has raised, although he has been around them for much longer as he previously worked for Blind and Low Vision NZ, where the puppies were in the office and would sometimes also need short-term fostering.
He and his partner also have another black labrador of their own, Stella, who was retired from the Guide Dog programme at 18 months due to her litter being found to have a heart condition in their line.
“That’s why I’m doing this, because I thought I’d try to repay the favour,” Holmes said.
He believes Roxy is the first guide dog to attend council meetings in Whangārei.
It is currently Blind Low Vision NZ (BLVNZ) Guide Dog Puppy Appeal week, with a street appeal taking place today and tomorrow.
This year, BLVNZ is focusing on raising funds for building new kennels, as the current 35-year-old kennels have reached the end of their life.
Around 40 guide dogs graduate each year, from around 100 bred for the purpose. There are up to 50 New Zealanders on the waiting list for a dog - people wait an average of two years to be matched.
BLVNZ is hoping to increase the number of dogs who successfully graduate by 20 per cent, as the number of blind, deafblind and low-vision people increases.
