 All right. I think we're live there. Hello. Hello, everybody. And thanks for joining our inaugural webinar to celebrate International Guide Dog Day. I hope you're all taking a break from your very busy or perhaps not really that busy schedules at the moment to have a bit of lunch and join us in saying hello to some beautiful guide dogs on their very special day. And maybe learn a little bit more about the work we're doing here at Guide Dogs. First of all, I'm going to introduce you to Zena here. Zena is a guide dog in training and in my role as a guide dog mobility instructor, I teach her what it takes to get to the next level. I really love my job. Apart from the obvious, I do get to spend a lot of time with dogs training them. But I really love the next bit when I match these dogs up with a handler, somebody who's blind or has low vision and teach them how to use the dog and travel around with it. It's sort of like teaching somebody to drive a car, but a little bit more complex. It takes a lot of time and effort, but it's all worth it in the end when we see the results. Now, as you may have heard, we've recently welcomed a brand new puppy into the world and we've named her after this very platform. We called her Zoom because we've been spending tons of time on Zoom. It's really helped us keep connected with each other, with our clients, volunteers and supporters. And you are going to meet little Zoom in just a little while. He's only three weeks old. He's very cute. But first, I'd like to take the opportunity to introduce you to our seven panelists joining us today. We'll start down in Victoria where we've got Karen Hayes. She's the CEO at Guide Dogs Victoria and also Alex Hecker. She's the Guide Dogs Victoria Ambassador. Now in New South Wales, we've got the lovely Leah and she has our lovely newborn puppy Zoom. And we've also got Dale Cleaver. He's the CEO at Guide Dogs New South Wales, ACT. And myself, I'm here in Sydney as well. In South Australia, we've got Chelsea Bartlett, Guide Dog Handler with a beautiful Guide Dog Skyler. And then we're going to be heading up to Queensland where we've got Paul Harper. He's a Guide Dog Handler and Associate Professor in Law at the University of Queensland. So plenty to get through. We're going to hear from all the panelists and their puppies over the next half an hour. But first, I think we should start with the star of the show, Leah. Before he explodes with cuteness, can you show us your little friend there, Zoom? Hi, Ryan. So this is Zoom and he's three weeks old. And he is a male yellow Labrador. He was born here in New South Wales in our home raring program. So he's being looked after now by one of our families. So it's very cute. Can you tell us a little bit more about that home raring program and what that involves? Sure. So I might tell you a little bit more about Zoom. Go for it. We all want to hear about him. Yeah. So Zoom's, he's just opened his eyes. You can see he's opened his eyes and he's starting to walk around his pen a little bit more now as well. And he's just started to get teeth. So he's starting to interact a lot more with everybody and his environment. His little personality is coming out a bit too now. So he loves his loves cuddles. So he loves getting cuddles from his puppy raising family. But his mum, Quill, is a black Labrador. And so Quill had had just only Zoom as the only puppy. So yeah, we generally have more, we have between four and five puppies. I mean, five and nine puppies in our litters. So yeah, Zoom's pretty special being the only puppy. Yeah. Well, that is cute. And this home raring program, what does this exist? What is it all about? So the home raring program is where our breeding dogs live with people in their homes. And so they welp the puppies from their homes. So they have them for when they're born till they're six weeks old. So they give them, they supply them with like really loving, stable homes. So with plenty of enrichment, but the puppies then are really well adjusted puppies. Yeah. So little Zoom will be there for six weeks. And it's a really rewarding experience for the families as well. Watching them grow from a newborn puppy to, you know, a nice six-week-old puppy. So once the puppies are six weeks old, then they head back onto the guide dog centre and they go off then ready for their puppy raising journey with their puppy raising family. He's so cute and smudgy. They like newborn babies. They need to eat all the time. They do. Yeah. So Zoom will just be snacking a lot. As you can see, he's really large for his age. He's about three. And that's because he gets all of the good milk to himself. Well, lucky puppy. Thanks so much, Leah. Thanks for introducing us to Zoom. He's the cutest thing I've seen today. That's for sure. We'll hang you on the line there, Leah, for a bit. But we're going to welcome any viewers who have just joined us. If you're wondering what's going on, we're here to celebrate International Guide Dog Day by saying hello to some of our charming guide dogs. Along the way in their journey, we've seen a puppy. I've got a guide dog in training here with me. And right now we might jump down to Victoria and say hello to the CEO of Guide Dogs Victoria. That's Karen Hayes. Karen, I see you've got a dog there as well. What's your little isolation, buddy? Hi, Ryan. Well, I'd like to introduce you to my beautiful ambassador dog, Willow. Willow is a blonde Labrador. She's nine years old. She's a very, very pretty girl. Willow was going through the Guide Dog program. And when they were assessing her, they found that she has very sensitive paws. So she won't work, walk on a gravel path. So she's a bit of a princess, but so she was reclassified. She's an ambassador for Guide Dogs. She goes absolutely everywhere with me. Some people get a company car, Ryan. I got a company dog. And I definitely got the better end of the equation. There's no question about that. Yeah. In all events with me, she's met a lot of VIPs as well, including Prince Harry and Megan. So she's a very, very special girl. Wow. I've just got lumped with the company car, unfortunately. So you have done well there. Now you mentioned that she didn't end up being a guide dog. What are some of the other roles that our dogs take on if that's not really their suited profession? Yeah, look, Guide Dogs Australia is recognised as having one of the best breeding programs in the world. And so all of our dogs play very valuable roles. So those that don't make it as guide dogs, we look at other career paths for them. So like Willow, she had a career path change from guide dogs to marketing. There'll be others that will have a career path change to a pet's therapy dog or an assistance dog. We also have a program with the Frankston Hospital here in Victoria, where we have Kenzo, the director of happiness, who basically provides comfort and support to the frontline medical staff. So he has a very, very, very important role, particularly right now. But there's also a wonderful program in use that we have in New South Wales, which is the New South Wales canine court program that supports, that accompanies victims who are going into court cases and maybe, you know, feeling a level of anxiety. And our dogs really help them just manage some of those anxious moments in that sort of difficult situation. Thanks very much, Karen. We're going to stay down in Victoria and we're going to have a chat to Alex Hecker. She's a guide dog's ambassador. Alex, you've got Linnie there, don't you? She's gorgeous. I do. Thanks, Ryan. So this is Linnie. She's two and a half years old. So she's part of the L-Litter for Guide Dogs Victoria. She was born on the 25th of October in 2017. And she's, I've just got some treats here. So she's looking with those longing eyes right now. So Linnie's litter were all yellow. So she's a yellow three quarters Labrador and one quarter golden retriever actually. It's a little bit more golden than the lovely Willow there. So my journey with Linnie started, hello, come here. My journey with Linnie started when she was eight weeks old. So we went on our puppy raising journey together. And everyone's journey is different, but Linnie was so naughty as a puppy for the first few weeks. She was very loud. She had little temper tantrums. She used to bark at me when I was asking her to do things. Hey, come up here. Everyone wants to see you. There we go. Food motivated, obviously. And yeah, it was, you know, the first few weeks were quite tricky in puppy raising. But then you forget about those weeks and the rest of the journey is so incredible. So Linnie was with me for the whole year. And then we had to say our goodbyes to her when she was 14 months old. So she went in for her guide dog assessment and she passed. And then the guide dogs team down in Victoria decided that they wanted her in their Wildman and Breeding program. So she's now a broody and she's going to have her first lady this year. So we're very excited for that. Yeah, Alex, you touched on that there. I mean, puppy raising, a lot of people may think about that. It must be so hard to give the dog back. But sure, there was lots of, this is hilarious, working with dogs. It's amazing if this doesn't all turn into a disaster. So it must be really tough giving the dog back. But what about some of the great times you had as being a puppy raiser? Yeah, absolutely. And like you said, never work with children or animals. It's such an incredible journey. It's one that will stay with me for life. It was a decision that I made being a mad dog lover my entire life. It was just a natural thing for me to take on. But as I mentioned, it was definitely challenging and you do have to take into account that it is a 12 month commitment. But it's one that's definitely worthwhile. So being able to take your dog absolutely everywhere is just such a highlight of the entire journey. So Linny here has been to photo shoots. She's been to ladies luncheons. She's been to the horse races. She's been everywhere, you know, the movies. She's even been to the circus. She knows she's on camera. Hey, come here. So yeah, it's so much fun being able to take your puppy everywhere for 12 months. Great. Thanks so much, Alex. It's really nice to meet Linny as well. We might have a look at the next stage of the journey now. A guide dog who's actually out there working as a guide dog. And for that, we're going to head to South Australia. We've got Chelsea down there. Chelsea, can you hear us? And how long have you had your guide dog Skylar for? I can hear you. I've had Skylar for about nine months now. Great. And what does she mean to you? Can you tell us a little about your relationship with Skylar? Sure. So Skylar's, I'll just give you a little bit about Skylar. So she's a black collaborator. She's about two years old. And her relationship means a lot to me, particularly during these times. She's quite a sweet and gentle dog. She's very loyal and loving and wants to be around people all the time and just creating that bond with each other and being out and about with her. It means a lot in getting that freedom and independence as well. Yeah, I guess you just touched on that particularly at this time. The dog's not only providing that independence, but your dog must be providing a lot of companionship and support as well during this time? Absolutely. She's a beautiful dog. Mara has a lot of support and loving care. We look after each other. And she's always coming up to me with a toy to have a bit of a play. And she's been a wonderful distraction from all the things that are happening at the moment with coronavirus. Yeah, absolutely. Thanks so much for joining us, Chelsea. It's lovely to meet our Skyler there. We're going to go to another guide dog handler now up in Queensland. We've got Paul up there. How are you going there, Paul? And who have you got with you? Paul. How long have you had Sean for, mate? Looks like you've got a strong bond there. Yeah, I got him in 2015. He's my third guide dog. Chester before that and Western before him. Right. And what's the most important thing that Sean has brought to your life? One thing. Now you're narrowing it down. It gives me dignity. It enables me to traverse locations with confidence. It gives me companionship. I went overseas with work just recently on a Fulbright scholarship and I wasn't able to take Sean. And so I had a period without him. And it really gave me that opportunity to reflect and just the importance of a guide dog in getting around without having to concentrate, the freedom, the companionship and the way they really make you a whole person. Yeah, now you're an associate professor in law as well there, Paul. Does that mean your dog has been absorbing a lot of this information, sitting in these lectures and things with you? Is he smarter than the usual guide dog you reckon? I think he's incredibly intelligent. He's obviously asleep through all my lectures. Yeah, very good. Very good. Probably a wise move. Thanks very much for joining us up there, Paul. We had a couple of questions come in through the week. We might just start. We just got a couple. I might get those out. They're ones that I thought were appropriate. This one might be for you back there, Alex. People interested in what it actually... How do you become a puppy raiser? Because it sounds like a pretty, pretty good gig. I think you're on mute there, Alex. There you go. It's all good. I've got this. So, as I mentioned earlier, it's such an amazing experience to be a part of being able to change somebody's life who is vision impaired. It's a really... She keeps sitting down every time I talk. It's a really special thing to be a part of, to be able to say that you and your puppy have played a part in that. So, if anyone does want to get involved, I would suggest jumping onto the Guide Dogs Australia website because you'll be able to find some more information there. You'll be able to apply online to become a volunteer, firstly, for Guide Dogs Australia. And then from there, you'll just go through the puppy raising application process. The intakes are a little bit different state-by-state at the moment in the current situation. So, just to sort of be aware of that. And then from there, you have a couple of last hoops to jump through in terms of puppy raising, home visits, just that sort of thing, just to make sure that you are suitable and that your lifestyle is suitable. And then they will match the puppy to your lifestyle. So, for example, with me, I'm a model and presenter, so I was always on the move. So, the Guide Dogs team matched Linny with me who she's very quiet and calm and quite confident as well. So, they do match the puppy to the individual household, which is pretty cool. They can do that from just a few weeks of age. As well as that, looking after the puppy, keeping it safe, is the most important role as a puppy raiser, making sure that the puppy does become a part of your family. You will be responsible for basic skills teaching the puppy basic sit-down, stay those sorts of commands. You'll also be in charge of socialization. So, being able to take your puppy everywhere is the bonus. And just exposing pup to all different environments from public transport to men wearing hats. Just all sorts of loud noises in different environments which is very important. And that's 12 months of fun in that journey. At the end, it is sad. If I had a dollar for every time someone said, I can't give the puppy back, I'd be a millionaire. It is a hard time, but it's a very small window of time because you are prepared for it for the whole year. That's what you sign up to do. And after that, you get to see your dog change someone's life. And that's looking at the bigger picture, making sure that this dog succeeds in what it does and you play a huge part in that. So, it's a really special thing to be a part of. All right. Thanks very much, Alex. And if anyone out there is interested, head to the Guide Dogs page in your state to find out more info. One last question. I think this one is really appropriate. We just met little puppy Zoom earlier on in the meeting. Who names the puppies? Who names the puppies? I think Karen down in Victoria. You might be right to take on this question. Yes. Thanks, Rob. Well, we have a lady in Guide Dogs Victoria. Her name is Di. She's worked with us for over 40 years. And in fact, her late husband was the very first orientation and mobility instructor in Australia. So, she has a long, long history with us. But her role is to name all of the puppies, but also to keep track of where all the puppies are, because you can't have a dog in the colony that's got the same name while. So, for Willow, she will be the only Willow within our colony until she passes, which hopefully is a long time from now. So, Di keeps a close eye on that. The other opportunity is with our puppy sponsors. So, a lot of people choose to sponsor our dogs. And when they choose to sponsor the dogs, they can actually name the puppies themselves. And a lot of people name them after a parent or just their favourite puppy name or whatever the case may be. But when they do sponsor one of our puppies, they then get the opportunity to follow the whole journey of that puppy becoming a guide dog. So, we connect with that sponsor and from very early stages as a puppy, and then they go through all of the different milestones that the puppy goes through to ultimately becoming a guide dog. And then attending a fantastic graduation ceremony to celebrate the role that this guide dog will play, ultimately being the support for somebody who's blind or has low vision and support them to live independently and safely and live basically, as you've heard from Paul and Chelsea, to live the life that they choose. Thanks, Karen. Now, is there a guide dog down there in Victoria getting around by the name of Karen by any chance? Actually, do you know what? There's not the moment, Ryan. I think we actually need to do something about that. I think you need to get on that. We're just about ready to wrap up for this meeting. We're going to throw it over to the CEO of Guide Dogs New South Wales, ACT, Dale Cleaver to finish off. But before I throw it to him, I might embarrass him here a little bit. He sent this fantastic email out to all staff yesterday, and I want to read you a little quote that he wrote to finish off with. It's quite fitting for these times. He said, finally, in these difficult times, I think there are some great lessons we can learn from our beautiful Guide Dogs. Be present. Focus on the immediate task at hand and don't be distracted. For a dog, every morning is the start of a wonderful day. Every walk is the best walk, and every meal is the best meal, and every interactions with the ones they love is the best interaction. Rejoice in life's simplest moments. Dale, well said, mate. I'm going to hand it over to you to update on our response of the COVID-19 epidemic, pandemic, and also wrap things up. Thank you. Thanks, Ryan, and thank you for being such a great host today. We couldn't have asked for a better one. I would have asked, hopefully, you've seen my dog, which is a terrier. Now, she's not quite Guide Dog potential, so if you hear any noise in the background here, it's her protecting me. But hopefully, what you found today is a real opportunity to get to know about the work of the Guide Dogs Network across Australia. I think hopefully what you've seen is some great experiences ranging from what it means to be for our young born puppies, and a particular mention to Zoom, our young puppy there, who we had a real pleasure in celebrating three weeks old, wonderful addition to us, and quite appropriately named, we thought, given the COVID experience. So we're doing a lot of Zoom meetings with our clients and with our people, and so it was a great opportunity for us to recognise that in naming that little cute puppy Zoom. Hopefully what you've also seen is what it means for our clients. The life-changing experience that a dog has in all of our lives, but it's very special indeed when it actually comes to our clients. That dog helps change lives, transforms them, and enables them to have some of the independence that sighted people often take for granted. So hopefully we've given you an insight to that. A little bit of puppy raising, which without the puppy raisers who support our work, we wouldn't be able to provide the guide dogs that we actually do. Those first 12 months in the guide dog puppy's life make such a difference, an important part in the training of a successful guide dog. So hopefully you've seen some of the overview of that, along with some of the simple things that we do, how we go about it, how we name a puppy. So it is a difficult time for everyone right now around the country and indeed around the world. International Guide Dog Day was created to really signify the important role that our guide dogs play in helping people with low vision and blindness and that enables them to lead safe and independent lives. So this year we thought we wanted to celebrate if we couldn't do that in our various events around the country, it was a great way for us to do this in a very alternative way. So this is our first Zoom meeting of this kind. Having said that during COVID, we're supporting our clients and our puppy raisers through technology such as Zoom. So I'd just like to also acknowledge Zoom, who's actually helped fund and provide us and be able to do this for us today. So it's a really wonderful opportunity, we think, to go about celebrating International Guide Dog Day in a very different way. So the recent weeks have also been a chance in our organisation to dig back into that community spirit. We've been around for over 60 years, so we want to particularly thank everyone who has supported us during this challenging time, including our donors, our volunteers, our supporters and the general community who continue to really keep a very positive support for us during this time. We hope that you've enjoyed today's session. It's the first of the kind for us. We've loved being part of it and we've received a number of questions and we will respond to those. Please look out for our Guide Dogs Australia website and our social media channels, including the Guide Dogs Australia Facebook page where we hope to give you more information. But we've enjoyed it, we hope you have too, and it's a great chance to showcase not only our dogs but our work in practice. So thank you. Before we go, we're just going to give you the final word. For those who missed it at the start, we're going to go back to Puppy Zoom. Can we just say hello to Puppy Zoom there, Lea? Just to say goodbye. Thank you very much. Thanks for joining us, guys. See you later. Have a good day.