CCATP #734 – Seamus Lavery on Raising a Service Dog

<p>In this week's episode of Chit Chat Across the Pond, I'm joined by long-time NosillaCastaway Seamus Lavery. Seamus started posting photos of his black lab Quaid to the live chatroom, and then explained that he’s a “puppy raiser” for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. He agreed to come on the show to tell us what it’s like to be a puppy raiser, what his responsibilities are, what he’s supposed to teach Quaid, and the uphill road it is for Quaid to qualify to be a Service Dog for the blind. </p> <p>Bart is a Belgian living in the Republic of Ireland, while Seamus is a Northern Irishman who lived for 12 years in Belgium (now living in the Washington DC area). His accent is delightful and his story is fascinating.</p> <p>Links Seaumus mentions:</p> <p>* <a href="https://www.guidingeyes.org/">Guiding Eyes for The Blind</a></p> <p>* <a href="https://www.pilotstotherescue.org">Pilots To The Rescue</a></p> <p>* <a href="https://youtu.be/J_TAwddtGoQ">Pilots to the Rescue delivering 3 Guiding Eyes Puppies</a></p> <p>* Trailer for Disney+'s series <a href="https://youtu.be/wDT6MUtTkKo">Pick of the Litter</a></p> <p>* Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History: <a href ="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/revisionist-history/the-dog-will-see-you-now" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dog Will See You Now</a></p> <p>* You can follow Seamus as <a href ="https://www.twitter.com/batfink2002" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@batfink2001</a> on Twitter</p>