Redmond residents Loren and Gail Wegener contributed time and love in raising a puppy for Guide Dogs for the Blind, and were proud to see the dog graduate as a guide in a formal ceremony at the Guide Dog campus in Boring, Ore earlier this month.

Puppy raisers, Loren and Gail, are members of the local Guide Dog Puppy Raising Club, For Your Eyes Only, led by Merry and Windy Jones. The club has 30 members who volunteer in a variety of jobs.

Guide Dogs for the Blind uses yellow and black Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and Lab/Golden Crosses as guides. The puppies are born at the Guide Dog kennels and placed in the homes of volunteer puppy raisers when they are about two months old. The puppy raisers socialize the pups by housebreaking them, teaching them to be good canine citizens and introducing them to new experiences.

The pups are returned to Guide Dogs for formal guidework training when they are 14 to 18 months old. Following the completion of training, the dogs are matched with blind students enrolled at the school. The new person-dog team completes an intensive in-residence course culminating with a graduation ceremony at which the puppy raiser formally presents the dog to the dog’s new partner who is blind.

To get involved, contact Guide Dogs for the Blind at (800)-295-4050; or visit www.guidedogs.com.