Guide Puppies Parade Through Mission
BART riders finally had something to smile about last weekend, when a dozen Labrador and golden retriever puppies walked out of the 16th Street station and onto the plaza.
The dogs have been training to become guides for the visually impaired, which includes socialization outings that expose them to the sights, sounds and smells of San Francisco. On Aug. 3, they were accompanied by puppy raisers and volunteers from Guide Dogs for the Blind, a nonprofit based in San Rafael.
Puppy raisers typically care for their guide dogs in training until they are 16 months old. Typically, the dogs are Labradors or Golden Retrievers bred to have the right temperament. Then, the puppies are sent to a guide dog campus for the blind in San Rafael or Oregon to work with professional trainers. If they graduate, they can be placed with visually impaired people throughout the country.
The Mission can be a sort of Homeric odyssey for a curious young pup. As the dogs were led in packs through the streets, they were rewarded for their calm, quiet and focused behavior as they encountered tempting treats on the sidewalk, other dogs and cooing pedestrians eager to pet them.
“The Mission has a lot of interesting things to see, hear, see, hear, hear, hear, and as puppy raisers, our job is to socialize them to all of those things,” said Jennelle Crothers, co-leader of the group, who has raised 16 dogs. Her intern, Blevins, named after the puppy raiser’s director, lay at her feet.
The dogs began their day by taking the BART from Glen Park to the 16th Street station, plopping down as the train shook, or snuggling between their handler’s legs.
“I’ve never met a nicer, better dog,” novice breeder Sara Bausch said of Turnip, who often brings Bausch’s other dog, an 11-year-old Boston terrier named Olive, his favorite toys.
The dogs paraded off the train as spectators took pictures. A Chihuahua appeared on the platform barking wildly as the caravan of guide dog candidates slid past the turnstiles and up the station’s steep stairs toward the sunlight.
Inside the Mission Police Station, the puppies gathered to wait for an officer to rub their bellies, an exercise meant to teach them not to be afraid of people in uniform. It also made for a rather enjoyable day on the job for Officer Avila.
Naturally, a photo op in front of the Clarion Alley murals was also in order. After fostering 15 dogs in 15 years, Greg Walter and Peter Farmer, with Wingman, are often asked how they cope with parting with their pups. Farmer says it’s like seeing your kids go off to college. It’s bittersweet to see them go, but rewarding to know how much good they’ll do for someone else.
Lily Hanson, who walked Spindrift, has fostered seven dogs in seven years. “You could say these dogs mean the world to the people around them,” Hanson said, recalling her last dog’s graduation.
Of the dogs that don’t graduate, about one in five “change careers.” They become other types of working dogs, herders, pets or program ambassadors. Many factors can disqualify a puppy from being a guide dog: he’s too energetic, he can’t regulate his bladder, he has allergies. One of the biggest challenges is teaching dogs to go to the bathroom before their walk, rather than during it, several puppy raisers said.
Eventually, the puppies waited patiently outside Dandelion Chocolate Shop, 740 Valencia St., as their owners sipped iced hot chocolate and pet dogs ran past them, tugging on their leashes to sniff. The working dogs didn’t bark once.
