 All right, I think we're on now for our Zoom meeting. Hello everybody, if you are joining us, thank you for coming to our webinar to celebrate Volunteer Week. We might just give everybody another minute or two to join in to how these things work. I don't always get on straight away, but while you're waiting, there is a poll going in Facebook event. If you have any questions, add them there or vote on the ones that you want the answers to and we'll get to some of those at the end of the session. So how did this spring about our last event was on International Guide Dog Day? It's so much fun. We thought we might bring the puppies back again and take a close look at some of the amazing work that the volunteers we work with here at Guide Dogs do. It's in celebration of Volunteer Week, which is this week. So Guide Dogs Australia relies on thousands of volunteers across the country to help. Oh, hello. Do you want to come up and say hello? Come on, Zeena up. I'm going to introduce you to Zeena in just a moment, but she's getting a bit excited because I've got some treats up here. So we've worked with over 2,200 volunteers across Australia and a whole bunch of different roles. We've got temporary carers. We've got puppy raisers, therapy dog volunteers. So a big thank you to everyone that has volunteered with Guide Dogs over these past 12 months. We really couldn't do this important work without you. Now, if you did make our first meeting, you're probably going to recognize my little friend here, Zeena. He's very excited to be back on the television. I'm going to put a treat up here so she might look at us. Zeena's a Guide Dog in training, although you probably wouldn't know from the way she's carrying on right now. She's been living with me here throughout this COVID period, keeping me company. And in my job as a Guide Dog Mobility Instructor, I've been teaching her what she needs to get to the next level to go out there and start working as a Guide Dog with somebody with blinds or has low vision. So I've been teaching her a lot of skills, been getting out and doing walks every day. There she is. And having a lot of fun. And she's actually a really good Guide Dog. She's going to be finished her training quite soon. And she's very good. And she's going to be going out to a handler in the not too distant future. All right, Zeena wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the volunteer puppy raising family who looked after her from about eight weeks of age. So if you're out there retail watching, hello from me and Zeena. You've done a fantastic job with her. She's a very good girl. Right, we're about to get started. So I'm going to introduce you to all of the panelists with us today. Joining me in leading today's session, we've got our friend Alex Hecker. She's a Guide Dogs Victoria ambassador. She's there with her beautiful dog, Vinnie. Hello, Alex. In New South Wales, we've got the lovely Leah and the star of the last call, little puppy Zoom. We've named this puppy Zoom after this platform that we've been spending so much time on. So we're going to check in for an update on Zoom in just a little minute, don't worry. We've also got therapy dogs coordinator, Sam O'Keefe. She's joining us from New South Wales along with a therapy dog named Checkers. And Checkers is very cute. In Queensland, we have Fiona joining us from the puppy nursery. That's right, we are going to take you to a puppy nursery. So there's a good chance there's going to be plenty of puppies for you to see there as well. And finally in Victoria, we're going to be joined by puppy raiser Fiona, her sons and their guide dog Puppy Elliot. So we're going to hear from all the panelists and their dogs over the next half hour or so. But first, I think what I want to do is go to the absolute star of the show. Are you going to say hello to people who just joined us? The star of the show, Puppy, Zoom. And she's there with Leah. Leah, she is, he is so cute. We got a lot of positive feedback about Zoom last time. Looks like he's grown a little bit. What's been going on? Hi, Ryan. He has grown now. So he's six weeks old now. Yeah, so he's probably weighing about six kilos as well, which is a little bit larger than our normal puppies at this age. He's getting his little personality now. He's very cuddly still, as you can see. And he's ready to embrace the world, getting out there, coming outside now. So he's spending a little bit more time outside. And we've also matched him up with a couple of other puppies from another litter. So he's getting that social interaction that he needs at this age as well. What's he been up to the last couple of weeks? Just say he's been out mingling with other puppies a bit more now. What sort of stage is he in in his development? Yeah, so because he was an only puppy, we introduced a couple of other puppies to his mom, Quill. So she's been looking after him and the other puppies, raising them as her own. So that's been really good for him and for Quill. So he's now coming outside, spending more time outside. He's on solid foods now and he's nearly weaned as well. So Quill is his mom's weaning him. Yeah, so lots of big steps. So next week, he'll get his vaccinations and then he'll head back to the Guide Dog Centre at New South Wales. And after that, about eight weeks, he'll go off to his puppy raising family. Leah, you mentioned there that he's an only puppy. We noticed last time that dog is so smooshy and chubby. Is that because he's able to get all the good milk from mom? Yes, he did. But like I said, Quill had two other puppies to feed too. So, but they're just as big and smooshy as well. So yes, some good milk for them. So yeah, definitely likes a cuddle. Alex. Yes, thanks Leah and hi everyone. So I'm here with Linnie down in Victoria today. And Leah, he's just looking so smooshy and he's definitely been in a good paddock there. That's for sure. So for anyone who has just joined, we are celebrating Volunteer Week and taking a closer look at some of the fantastic work that all of our volunteers do here at Guide Dogs. So firstly, I think you'd probably all want to meet the beautiful Linnie here. So Linnie is a two and a half year old yellow Labrador. She's actually a broody in the Guide Dogs breeding program. So I raised Linnie from when she was eight weeks old and I was a volunteer puppy raiser with her for 12 months. We said our goodbyes to Linnie. She passed her guide dog assessment and then she became a broody from there. So she graduated last year in the Guide Dogs and she's been with us ever since. So we're hopefully expecting her first litter of little guide dog puppies like the pups you see here. Hopefully a little bit later this year. And yeah, it's so much fun having these guys around. So speaking of puppy raising, I mentioned I was a volunteer puppy raiser and it does take a lot of work. But before we do get to another puppy raiser, we're going to jump over to Fiona at the nursery in Queensland. So thanks for being here, Fiona. Can you just tell us a little bit more about the adorable puppies that you have there with you? Hello. Yes, so I'm here with the Y-letter. So there are five Labradors in this litter and here with me is Yara, looking very cute as always. We've got her two brothers and two sisters also around things, it's silly chewing stuff, but hopefully they'll get on camera in a little bit. So these guys are nine weeks old. So they'll be heading off into their puppy raising home to next week. And then they'll be with the volunteers. I'll tell her about 14 to 16 months of age and then they'll return to us for formal guide dog training. So when they're in the puppy raising home, the puppy raiser has the responsibility to help try and develop these dogs into all these puppies into well-rounded dogs. So they're well-socialized, confident, and don't get distracted too easily. So it's an around-the-clock job, but we are very grateful for all of the hard work that our puppy raisers do do. Yeah, fantastic. It's a very rewarding job. But there's also a little bit involved before the puppies do go to their new homes. I think the pups are going to their new homes next week. But prior to that, there are volunteers involved in the process from when the pups are born up until they go to their home. So can you tell us a little bit about that process there? Yeah, yeah, definitely. So in Queensland, we're very lucky to have a dedicated team of volunteers who come into the breeding centre and help socialize the puppies while they're in here. So our socializing starts from the week that the pups are born and will pretty much continue for the rest of their life. But while they're in here, the volunteers help us, like, introducing them to the bar, the car, handling, tactile desensitization, equipment desensitization, and pretty much just exposing the pups to as many environments and sights and sounds and smells to get ready for the big, wide world. Sorry, the puppies are being very cheeky and trying to chew the food. And yeah, obviously all of that does help in introducing them so much earlier to all of those different distractions. I know in my journey with Linnie, it certainly definitely showed along the way in her 12 months that I had her as a puppy raiser. It definitely goes a long way when they have been exposed so early. So yeah, they're looking so cute. You've got the best job in the world there, Fiona. So thank you. Now, I'm going to jump down to Victoria, a little bit cooler down here in our state. So the next one we're going to be interviewing is puppy raiser Fiona. And she's got a couple of other guests there. So we've got Tom, Nick and Will and the beautiful Elliot. So Fiona, thanks for being here and boys as well. So firstly, can you tell us a little bit about your puppy raising experience, Fiona? So it's a 12 month commitment. Tell us a little bit more. Hi, Alex. Yes, that's right. We've had Elliot since he was about nine weeks old, which was July last year. And he has been an absolute joy to have him a family. He was very well behaved even from an early age and just really, we had very few sleepless nights. And took to socializing very easily. He toilet trained quite quickly and he's been just beautiful. He's got a lot of energy and a little bit of cheekiness, but he's kept us all very entertained. He's absolutely beautiful. And it just goes to show that everybody's puppy raising experiences are different because I know with Linnie the first few weeks with her, she was an absolute terror. She was so naughty. So it sounds like you're lucky there. No, we did get lucky. Yeah. Yeah, it's all really rewarding. And what made you become a puppy raiser? What made you decide to do that? Well, we've been thinking about getting a dog for a long time and we were getting a lot of pressure from the kids to get a dog, but we just weren't sure that it was right for us. And my sister-in-laws had a long association with Guide Dogs Victoria and she had recently got a pup. So we actually got quite a lot of insight from her on the Guide Dogs program and what was expected, the commitment and the requirements. Like, we were worried that we didn't have a big enough backyard. That was one of our concerns, but we just have a small courtyard and that is absolutely more than enough. And it's been just such a joy to have him in our family. He's, as you can see, the boys love him. They've taught him how to play hide-and-seek and they chase around the kitchen bench and seeing the affection and the love that he gives the boys and they give him. It's just precious and lovely. Absolutely. And there's so many highlights to being a puppy raiser. What's your favourite part about being a puppy raiser and even the boys, what do the boys think? What's your favourite part as well? Probably playing with them. Yeah, he's lovely. He's just such a joy. He's got such energy and he just, I think he just makes you a better person as well. The other benefit, I think, that is all the friends that we've made through Guide Dogs. We've received so much support, not just from Guide Dogs staff and the puppy advisors, but other puppy raisers and volunteers. So there's a terrific Facebook group that are very helpful. We also go to a weekly, well, when it's not COVID times, we go to a weekly enrichment group at a local park, which is so good for the dogs, socialising, and for us as well, we get to meet other puppy raisers and share our stories and it's just been so much fun. Yeah, I have actually been to one of those enrichment programs myself when I was raising Linnie and it's actually such a sight, seeing 10 Labradors running around together. It's definitely a highlight in the whole experience. Thank you so much for being with us, guys. Thank you very much. He's been an absolute star today. Thank you very much. So it's definitely puppy raising is one of the best jobs in the world, in my opinion. So we'll tell everyone a little bit more. Anyone who is interested in becoming a puppy raiser, we do have a little bit more information on that a little bit later in our meeting today, but for now we're going to throw it back over to Riot. Thank you very much, Alex, and thank you Fiona. Fiona, I think you need to wear a white shirt next time. You can't see your black dog there. Blends in nicely. Very funny. Look, if you've just joined us today, we are celebrating Volunteer Week and taking a closer look at some of the fantastic volunteers that we work with here at Guide Dogs. They do a range of different jobs all across the country. So there's more to volunteering than just dogs and puppies. We have a range of other programs and therapy dogs is one of them. So I'm very excited about an ex-guest. Now, Sam is a colleague of mine. Sam, I wasn't talking about you, but I am excited to be touching base with you, but I'm super excited to see your little friend, Checkers. Now, Checkers came into guide dog training with me as part of one of the groups I was training some time ago and it quickly became apparent that he perhaps wasn't going to make it as a guide dog, but he had other ideas for a career. Sam, what is Checkers up to now? Well, at the moment, he's fallen fast asleep. He's a little bit too tired to be a guide dog. So, yeah, look, Checkers is currently a canine court companion therapy dog. So he attends family court with his wonderful handler, Gabby, who is one of our volunteers. And they go into the family court and help make court feel a little bit less stressful and a little bit less frightening for people who are attending. So, Sam, what exactly does Checkers do when he goes into court with a volunteer? So, Checkers basically is just being Checkers. So, Checkers is usually, he's pretty chilled at the moment and he is a chilled dog, but when he's up and awake, he's quite vivacious and he likes to make himself over to people to get pats, he'll sit at people's feet and just let them pat him and kind of calm themselves down if they need a little bit of stress reduction. And this includes all of our handlers and all of our volunteers who attend the courts all over New South Wales. They all do the same task. Yeah, that's great. I think everyone watching can agree having a little Checkers nearby for a cuddle would make everything feel a lot better. Now, Sam, what are some of the other jobs and places that therapy dogs go to to do their work other than the canine court companion program? Right, right. So, of course, we've heard about our puppy raises and not all dogs go on into the guide dog program. So, we certainly have a really big bunch of dogs come over into the therapy dog program. A lot of those dogs go to families or individuals who might benefit from the companionship of a dog and usually the reasons that they don't go through the guide dog program are fairly benign. So, it might be that they don't have enough lead out. You know, they might be too excited to see other dogs, things like that, but they're still, you know, very trustworthy, beautiful, temperamental dogs just like Checkers. So, Sam, I was trying to get my microphone back on. I'm having some technical dog issues here. Thanks very much for that special insight there into a bit of our therapy dog program. So, if you've just joined us, we're here to celebrate Volunteer Week and celebrate our special guide dogs, volunteers who pay such an essential role in helping us support the community. So, the official part of today is just about over. So, I want to thank you for coming to join us, but we have had a few questions come through in the chat and also through Facebook as well. Alex, I'm going to throw this one to you. We've hope on come through in the chat. I'm going to relate this to a question I want to ask you that came through Facebook. Do the dogs have a grieving period when they leave their puppy raises? I'm going to answer that and say, no, they don't. As much as we would like to think that they think we're as special as we think they are, they chortle off. They're so adaptable. They go into their new homes. Well, somebody else is feeding me. I love you. You sort of get forgotten pretty quickly, which is a bit of a sad thing to think about, but it's true. So, we're the ones that sort of have the hard time, but Alex, and I'm sure you get asked this a lot, how do you cope with having to give the puppy back once you've raised it? Yeah, absolutely. And I totally agree with you. Linnie being a broody sometimes has to go into the Vic headquarters. And every time, I'm a little bit heartbroken because she just, she trots off with whoever takes her and doesn't even look back. So, it's definitely more our emotions rather than the dogs. But if I did have a dollar for every time someone said, I can't give the dog back, I'd be a millionaire because it's a really common question I come across, particularly in my puppy raising experience. So, it is hard. It's a sad moment in the journey, but it is a very small momentary period of time where you do feel sad. And I had to hand Linnie back. I think my partner was probably crying a little bit more than me. He's a big six foot five guy, so that was quite funny to see. But no, it's a very sad time. However, it's something that you do prepare yourself for the entire 12 months. You know what's coming. You do get attached to the dog, but then it's all worth it when you see what the dog does in terms of changing someone's life and giving them back their independence. I don't think anything can beat that. So, it makes it all worthwhile. Thanks, Alex. And another, you could answer this one as well if you like. Somebody said, what is a broody? You've mentioned that term a couple of times today. What is your dog's job? Yeah, sure. So, a broody is a female dog who is in the guide dog's breeding program. So, Linnie passed her guide dog assessment. So, she was on track to become a guide dog, but then the team at guide dogs actually really liked the traits that she demonstrated and wanted to carry that down the line. So, it's a term for a female breeding dog in their breeding program, and we just shorten it to broody. It sounds a bit cuter. And I know there must be a special dog. You've got Alex, as I know we pick the absolute best of the best dogs to come into our breeding program. So, you can see that. She's just gorgeous. We've also had somebody ask, how can you support if you don't have the time to be a puppy raiser? I think one of the great ways to do is become a puppy sponsor. It does take over two years and cost more than $50,000 to raise, train and transform the faithful little pups into the brilliant guide dogs and therapy dogs that we've met today. And as a puppy sponsor, you get to follow along the journey of your chosen puppy as it becomes a guide dog or a therapy dog. Now, we'd like to see Zoom again. I know everybody's here to see Zoom and if you have come late, don't worry, you're not gonna miss out. So I might throw it up to Leah to answer a question for me while you're there, Leah. Somebody has asked about how do you become a temporary puppy carer? What is the difference between the raiser and a temporary carer? Over to Leah and Zoom. Sure, hello. Yeah, so a temp carer is somebody who looks after our dogs just for a short amount of time. So they are puppy raising family needs to have a holiday. They might need to go away for a couple of weeks or a weekend. The temp carers look after the dog for that period of time. So they may previously been a puppy raising family who don't want to have a dog for a whole year. That's sort of the whole length of the puppy raising time. So then they might just take on that dog at a small, yeah, couple of weeks that they're needed. Yeah, so people can, or they can apply to be a temp carer if they just wanted to just temp their dogs. Now, while I've got you, Leah, what are the chances of little Zoom coming on to make it as a guide dog? Well, I think he's got a good chance. Is anybody really? Yeah, so he's, I think, going to be a nice little puppy. He is affectionate and he's outgoing. So I think he's got a good chance. He's sleeping now. He's sleeping. We might let poor little Zoom go and have a little sleep and maybe a feed. I have had another question about how you become a puppy raise. It's a great question. I'll give you those answers now. So if you are interested in volunteering, you can go to the Guide Dogs Australia website. That's your best source of information. I do know that the ACT in Canberra and South Australia, they need volunteer puppy raises right now. So if you're in those areas, get in touch with the team via the website. In Queensland, there's currently a waiting list because we've had a lot of people being excited and interested in becoming puppy raises, but do register your interests there with them. And finally, in Victoria and New South Wales, we're actually not taking new applications right now for puppy raises because we've been overwhelmed at the moment, which is fantastic because we always need more raises. But do follow us on our Facebook account. We do regularly update when we are looking for those raises again. Guys, I might just throw back up to Fiona in Queensland there because people wanted to have a look at the puppy nursery there. Who have you got in your hands there now? Here I have Yuri. And how old's Yuri? Nine weeks old. So I've been rotating the puppies that I've been holding, but I must say Yara is the one that keeps coming back. I'll just try and turn my camera so you can see the others. I don't know if you can hear them barking at one another. Can you see that? Yes, we can. Yeah. Oh, that's great. Thank you very much. And just one last question come through. It's about how has COVID affected how we've been training our dogs. I did mention at the start of today's session, I've had Zeena here living at home with me. So our dogs have been out in the community and we've been managing to keep them, keep them in training throughout this period, just a little bit different, and obviously avoiding crowds and trains and all the rest at this time. But we've just managed to keep them ticking along. So they're going to be ready to go soon enough. Well, I think that's just about going to do it for today. Thank you so much for coming to join us. I hope you've had a good time meeting some of our puppies and learning about some of the work that our important volunteers do. I hope you all have a wonderful day. Thanks for joining us and we hope to catch you at the next one. Bye-bye.