We were delighted recently that our Head of Boarding, Mrs Allysia Heness-Pugh, was invited to be featured in the first edition of the new Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Magazine. Allysia has been a Puppy Raiser for 20 years with Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, and gives these gorgeous pups an immersive first 12 months of life with our boarders here on the Ascham campus.
The below article is reproduced from the Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Magazine:
Allysia never imagined that a simple question from a student would change her life. While working at a boarding school on Sydney’s North Shore in 2005, a student researching for a project about Guide Dogs NSW/ACT came across puppy raising and asked, “why can’t we do this here?”
Allysia’s school became the second in NSW to have a dog on campus, well before the therapeutic benefits of dogs in schools were widely recognised.
Now, 18 life-changing Labrador pups later, Allysia is Head of Boarding at Ascham School in Edgecliff, Sydney. She cares for 125 boarders, most of them being girls from regional NSW, and lives on campus with her husband and daughter. Puppy raising is not just a solo effort; it’s a family affair and a school-wide initiative. Although the pup lives with Allysia’s family and joins her on weekends and holidays, they’re first and foremost part of the school and boarding house community.
Being a Puppy Raiser for Guide Dogs NSW/ACT is a volunteer role that involves caring for a Guide Dog puppy in your home from eight weeks to around 14 months old. It’s all about giving the Labrador pup the best possible start in a loving home, socialising them in different environments, and helping them learn basic training.
One of the things Allysia values the most about puppy raising is the ongoing support she receives from Guide Dogs NSW/ACT whenever she has a question or needs help with a puppy. “You get so much support from your Puppy Development Advisor, from the Guide Dogs team, and from the network that you create, which makes it easy to bring a dog into your home and love them,” she says.
For anyone considering volunteering to become a Puppy Raiser, Allysia says, “I would say, don’t hesitate. Get your family on board, whatever that looks like, and get others involved too, because it’s not a solo project. You will be supported through each step.”
Interested in volunteering to become a Puppy Raiser for Guide Dogs NSW/ACT? Visit their website here to sign up as a Puppy Raiser.
Read the whole Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Magazine here.
