Helping hounds lend a paw

Student establishes Guide Dog Foundation chapter

The Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind Inc. is a nonprofit organization that has provided guide dogs for over 60 years to the visually impaired in need of assistance with their everyday lives.

A local chapter of the Guide Dog Foundation was established at the beginning of the Fall 2011 school year and can be accessed through The GIVE Center. Carly Angelucci, sophomore mass communication major, is the founder of the Guide Dog Foundation at Georgia College.

All applicants must register with The GIVE Center, and in order to become a part of the Guide Dog Foundation, one must go through a series of interviews and training sessions.

Once the applicant has been accepted, it takes about two to six months to receive a puppy.
Trainers receive the puppies at 7-weeks-old. The trainer will house, care for and train the puppy until it is 14-months-old. This is when the guide dogs are assigned to their companion they were trained to assist.

Training a puppy for the Guide Dog Foundation is a full-time job. The puppy must be with its trainer 16 to 20 hours a day and is to be left on its own for the remaining hours. Every trainer receives eight hours of community service per day.

All vet visits and other expenses are paid for by the Foundation; the only costs to the volunteer are that of food and toys.

Angelucci wanted a different option when it came to community service offered at GC.

“I had worn out a lot of other options that the school had to offer, and I wanted something new,” Angelucci said.

Angelucci has been informally training dogs for five years. In October of 2010, in her freshman year of college, she joined up with the Guide Dog Foundation.

After months of waiting, Angelucci received her new puppy, Spice, a purebred Golden Retriever. Spice is now 12 weeks old and is quickly accelerating in her training. She can be seen around campus wearing her yellow vest that informs the public that she is a working dog in training for the Guide Dog Foundation.

As a part of the puppy curriculum for training the guide dogs, there are certain guidelines and rules the trainer must follow. One of the hardest rules is not allowing other people to pet or play with the dog while it is working.

Angelucci has learned to handle people wishing to pet Spice and, according to her, she deals with it as politely as possible.

“If you see her (Spice) on campus, and she doesn’t have her work vest on, feel free to come and play with her,” Angelucci said.

For those interested in becoming a part of the Guide Dog Foundation at GC, the first step is to sign up with The GIVE Center as a volunteer. Once applicants have been approved, they nterview with Carly Angelucci who will make the decision whether or not the applicant will be a suitable trainer.

It is important that people understand that this is not just about getting a pet, but training a guide dog that will eventually be given to someone who will depend on this dog for everything.

Applicants must be comfortable around animals, and confident in themselves and their training abilities.

For those applicants who don’t know a lot about training a dog, Angelucci’s advice is to “not let that discourage you.” There will be training sessions once a month in Athens, Ga., and Angelucci is always available for questions and additional training.

“I think it is a fantastic organization for Georgia College,” said junior exercise science major Bethany Oxford. “I think it will be very popular among the students, and I really admire anyone who takes the time to train these dogs. The cause is great, and I’m happy Georgia College will be taking part in it.”