Puppies!
By: Stephanie Colman
With a nursery full of puppies, and communities in-need counting on us to help transform lives through highly skilled service dogs, Guide Dogs of America has implemented a drive-thru puppy pick up protocol (say that three times, fast!) to help ensure the health and safety of volunteers and staff, as we send our adorable VIPs (Very Important Pups) off to raiser homes for the next phase of training journeys.
At a recent drive-thru event, we filmed video to share with local media. Several Los Angeles network affiliates took notice, with KABC, KTLA and KNBC airing the story multiple times. Los Angeles Daily News also ran a story, along with the Sacramento Bee, iHeartDogs.com, and a newspaper in Florida, The Bradenton Herald. We even made a blog post in Whole Dog Journal, which maintains a large international audience of dog enthusiasts.
A week later, KNBC’s morning show, “Today in LA,” invited GDA’s Canine Development Lead, Carol Ann Heinis, onto the show to share how GDA quickly transitioned its puppy training program to an online format to ensure we’re able to move forward in our mission during this challenging time.
It just goes to show how puppy breath makes most everything better, even during a pandemic. Or, perhaps, more aptly, especially during a pandemic!
The most recent shout out comes from The Charlotte Observer in an article that can show us how to convert dog years to human years, read more here »
You can view stories here as well:
- The Charlotte Observer: https://apple.news/AHEv-M0uNQXCKRWxDQlrPlw
- KABC, KTLA and KNBC, the compilation reel: https://youtu.be/p3p1NU9L5aE
- Sacramento Bee: https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article242523611.html
- The Bradenton Herald, a newspaper in Florida: https://www.bradenton.com/news/article242533416.html
- iHeartDogs: https://iheartdogs.com/adorable-puppy-drive-thru-sends-future-guide-dogs-home/
- Whole Dog Journal: https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/blog/new-world-order-puppy-edition/
- KNBC Today in LA with Carol Ann Heinis: https://youtu.be/6mUIw-cry-U