Emma Watt has raised 10 puppies in 10 years as a volunteer puppy carer with us here at Seeing Eye Dogs.
When Emma’s friend suggested this program might suit her, she only planned to take one, but one puppy became a series of 10 puppies.
This year she celebrates 10 years as a volunteer.
Her first puppy Champ came when he was approximately 12 weeks old. Emma admits, “I really enjoyed it, but it was a steep learning curve.”
“When I sent Champ in for training I was so devastated and heartbroken I wasn’t sure I could do it again. But I did, obviously.”
One of the highlights of Emma’s puppy caring journey was meeting Champ and his handler Des.
“I walked into their house and he went a little bit nuts. He was 8 but he was super excited and came and sat on my lap. Des took us out to lunch and put the harness on and he was a perfect worker,” Emma says. “Des and Champ are such a tight team.”
Later this year she has plans to see Des and Champ again and catch up with another previous puppy Apollo with his handler.
“It’s part of a program that helps someone have an independent life. What the dogs can be trained to do is mind-blowing.”
The puppies become part of a busy routine and learn to settle whilst Emma works. Whilst that’s often at home, a couple of days a week Emma and the puppies go to the office in the city where current puppy Griffin gets city exposure.
Going to the gym, shops and SES volunteering means her pups are socialised to a variety of environments and get used to settling in various locations. Emma has volunteered for the SES for 17 years, truly an impressive commitment to multiple volunteer roles!
Seeing Eye Dog puppy in training Griffin recently took on an unofficial role at the SES, working as the greeter and Chief Encourager for volunteers practicing for fitness testing.
He’s also currently learning to ignore other dogs and interesting scents, which isn’t easy, but he’s in great hands.
“Every puppy is different. They all have their own personalities and challenges,” Emma says. “They all develop in different ways. I love to see them learn.”
That is one of the things that keeps wonderful volunteers like Emma coming back for more.
“I see the start of the process with the foolish, silly puppies doing zoomies and bouncing around like ping pong balls and then suddenly, they're a serious working dog. It's amazing also seeing the connection when you see a working team.”
“It is really rewarding, fantastic to be even a small part of the program. The puppies are funny, so joyful and entertaining,” Emma says. “It hurts to send them in for training, but I know I’ve given them the best possible chance.”
