GUIDE DOGS AUSTRALIA IS HOLDING THE CUTEST ZOOM MEETING EVER

To celebrate International Guide Dog Day in April, the charity is holding the first-ever Puppy Zoom meeting next Wednesday.

Beginning at 12pm, the half-an-hour meeting will feature Guide Dog puppies, including a three-week-old Labrador who has aptly been named ‘Zoom’.

The lunchtime break will also showcase fully-fledged Guide Dogs who are helping people with vision impairments be independent.

The Zoom meeting is intended to highlight how these animals change the lives of people with blindness or impaired vision as well as the journey the dogs go on to fulfill their role.

International Guide Dog Day is held on the last Wednesday of April, and celebrates the important role the animals have in the lives of people who live with vision impairment.

It is estimated that 450,000 Australians are either blind or have low vision, with this number expected to increase due to an ageing population.

Guide Dog puppies stay with a Puppy Raiser from around eight weeks of age in the first stage of the training.

During this stage, the puppies go wherever their Raiser goes to learn basic socialising and obedience as well as helping them remain calm in different situations.

If Between 16 and 18 months they then enter six months of intensive training if a Guide Dogs Instructors deem them suitable to become a guide. Each dog receives its own Instructor and learns increasingly difficult commands.

When the dog passes their training, they are matched with a Handler and over a four to six-year period will be trained to suit their specific needs.

Handlers and their assistant dogs are supported by Guide Dogs throughout the dog’s working life, which can be between eight and 10 years.

Those who want to follow announcements of the meeting can do so here, and the link to the Zoom meeting is here.

Last week, the Federal Government announced funding of $2.5 million to Guide Dogs Victoria to upgrade training facilities.

The redevelopment will include a world-class training centre, refurbished onsite accommodation for clients and a commercial hub with a veterinary hospital, dog day-care centre and on-site café.

“This is an amazing contribution from the Federal Government which provides an important piece of the funding puzzle towards our world-first sensory campus – thank you,” said Guide Dogs Victoria CEO Karen Hayes.

“Guide Dogs Victoria has been overwhelmed by the support and generosity from the community for this project and for the ongoing support for our organisation in general, at this moment.”