Patterson Pups get ‘Dogist’ Spotlight

Puppies in training in Patterson got the spotlight this week on the viral dog-themed website, The Dogist.

If you're anything like me, you love when your social media timeline is blessed with puppies and other cute animals. It breaks up the monotony of all the depressing COVID and political news we see every day.

For that reason, I've been following The Dogist for a few years. If you've never heard of The Dogist, their website describes it best when they call themselves a "photo-documentary series about the story of dogs."  They've posted magnificent photos of dogs from all over the world since 2013.

This week, The Dogist documented a 9 week-old Labrador Retriever named Danielle from Patterson who is part of a lower Hudson Valley organization called Guiding Eyes for The Blind. They're out of Yorktown Heights and provides guide dogs for people who are suffering from vision loss.

Danielle the labrador retriever goes through an extensive training program with Guiding Eyes for the Blind and the organization broke it down for The Dogist explaining:

Two important things guide dogs need to do is look up and walk backwards – they don't do that naturally. There’s a suspension bridge, toys, ramps, stairs, and tunnels. We play sounds like kettles whistling and sirens so that they can be familiar with everything. We put on funny hats and glasses to get them used to unusual people. At six weeks and two days they go to a person’s home to get them used to a home environment.

Exposure to different types of people, sounds, textures and smells help the organization evaluate the dogs to see if there are any areas of training that need work.

To learn more about Guiding Eyes for The Blind and how to help or adopt, visit GuidingEyes.org.