On Saturday morning, an unusual event drew a lot of attention at Portland International Airport as 24 puppies, guide dogs in training, paraded through TSA security check.
It’s all part of Guide Dog for the Blind’s mission.
The nonprofit trains 8-week to 14-month-old puppies to assist people with visual impairments. As part of their “socialization” training, puppies and the volunteers raising them were invited to the airport so the dogs could get experience navigating the busy space with travelers.
Many sensations were new to the pups, such as waiting patiently in line, getting checked by security, using a pet relief station and even being touched by hands wearing disposable gloves. All of those experiences will help prepare the dogs to guide their future owners through the airport.
Sonya Rygh, who has volunteered with Guide Dogs for six years, brought Cashmere, the puppy she’s raising, to Saturday’s training and says the work is inspiring.
“You hear the stories of our visually impaired and low-vision people, and you can’t help but give the dog to such an amazing cause,” Rygh said. “To give them the ability to be mobile in the world is an incredible gift we get the chance to give.”
Volunteer puppy raisers socialize and teach basic manners to puppies. Once the dogs are around 14 months old, they return to the Guide Dogs for the Blind campus in Boring for a roughly 3-month formal training as a guide dog. Once dogs graduate, they are then matched with their new owners.
Guide Dogs for the Blind was founded in 1942 to help returning soldiers who had been blinded during World War II. Since then, the nonprofit has trained more than 16,000 guide dogs — not just for military veterans, but for anyone with a visual impairment.
The organization has two locations: a headquarters in San Rafael, California, and its Boring location.
Guide Dogs for the Blind is the biggest organization of its kind in the country. Learn more about volunteering with the organization here.
— Allison Barr, abarr@oregonian.com
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