Guide Dog group opens its gates to puppy huggers

[Liberal_in_LA]

Guide Dog group opens its gates to puppy huggers

Southeastern Guide Dogs, which trains dogs for the blind, socializes puppies by holding public "puppy hug" events with people in the community several times a week in Palmetto, Fla.


By Sharon L. Peters, Special for USA TODAY

Puppy love is regularly available to folks who live in and around Palmetto, Fla., even if they own only older dogs — or no dogs at all.

Plump, perky golden retriever, Labrador retriever and collie pups residing at the Southeastern Guide Dogs campus are loosed most mornings for a couple of hours of cuddle and play time with anyone who shows up.

"It's great for the puppies," says the school's Patsy French. "It's wonderful for (them) to meet all these people, to have contact with big people and little people, and people with soft voices and loud voices, people of various ages. Building confidence so they're comfortable in every circumstance" is vital to developing a guide dog, she says, and introducing them to the public at large provides an unparalleled level of formative-weeks people contact.

"And of course," French says, "the time with the puppies is wonderful for the people who come here — calming, cheering."

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Many people in this part of Florida live in condos that don't allow pets, and the program allows them puppy contact. But many locals — lots of them with dogs at home — visit several times a month because puppy love is just a whole different joy-evoker.

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Five mornings a week, scores of people gather in a couple of reception rooms, eagerly awaiting the magic hour: 9 a.m. Just as eager, in another area, 25 or 30 puppies, 6 weeks to 9 weeks old, are milling about excitedly, having quickly figured out something fun is about to happen. At the appointed hour, the door opens and a romping herd of puppies surges forward, galloping clumsily, fall-ing over one another and yipping gleefully as they race toward outstretched arms.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/pets/2010-05-26-puppyhugs26_ST_N.htm?csp=24&RM_Exclude=Juno

[aquart]

1. Puppies!

[roguevalley]

6. my idea of heaven, hip deep in puppies everyday.

[applegrove]

2. If only they had the same idea for kitties. Perhaps kitties could be used to help people

with PTSD and such.

[Riftaxe]

4. Hmm cats are not as social as dogs

I am certain that my cat has caused quite a bit of PTSD by himself, it's the nature of the animals in the end tho. Some cats are very loving creatures....most are evil incarnate! Speaking as a labrador owner and cat owner.

[applegrove]

5. Oh I know it is just a dream. It would be unethical to encourage the breeding of kittens

if there was nowhere for them to go when they are grown up. I just love kittens though. And cats are not evil. I've never had a cat that was in any way bad. My big male cat comes running any time the little cat is distressed (the little cat gets really upset if she sees another cat outside and makes all sorts of terrible kitty sounds).

[Riftaxe]

3. Very admirable, i wish more people

would learn the value of socializing their dogs. There is no downside to it, and everyone gets licks/hugs :)