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New owners needed for adorable guide dogs in training

Remain calm, the most adorable litter of pooches are looking for a home for the next 12 months. The pawesome pups need owners as they prepare for a life as guide dogs assisting the blind. HERE IS HOW YOU CAN HELP.

Paws to celebrate Lunar New Year 2018

Hold onto your heartstrings.

Guide Dogs Australia has a pawesome opportunity and is looking for a home for its most loveable litter of labradors to help them learn the basics.

Known as “puppy raisers”, the six pooches need owners for the next 12 months as they begin their training to become fully fledged guide dogs to assist the blind.

The pups – Ivy, Indiana, Ixie, Ike, Iggy, Igloo and Irvin – will head out to their new families once they turn eight weeks old to learn the basics.

The hardest part will be handing the pups back after 12 months.
The hardest part will be handing the pups back after 12 months.

“As we want our puppies to go to the best homes, it’s important that puppy raisers are dedicated to ensuring they provide proper care and attention to the pups,” Guide Dogs Australia said.

The organisation relies on help from volunteers as raising the adorable canines comes at a cost, $50,000 to be exact.

The hefty fee is a result of the extensive funds required to breed, raise and train to loveable labs who will one day provide invaluable help to the visually impaired.

Nine Australians a day learn they will be permanently blind with the number of blind people across the country soaring past half a million last year.

More than half a million Australians are legally blind.
More than half a million Australians are legally blind.

The two leading causes of blindness in Australia are age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts, both of which are typically common among the elderly.

Guide Dogs Australia claims Australia’s ageing population has led to a roaring demand for guide dogs.

Labradors are one of the few breeds of dogs suited to the work as their “naturally hungry nature” which makes them easy to train, according to the organisation.

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/new-owners-needed-for-adorable-guide-dogs-in-training/news-story/f0f3523800dcbe636a8c74facb2fcba2