Suncoast Puppy Raisers

03/14/2020

Last Month We met on the beautiful campus of the University of Tampa with about 15 young women from the Delta Gama Fraternity. We allowed the girls to handle the pups through some basic obedience exercises and then had a guided tour around the campus. To give the pups some exposure to a different type of surface, we walked across the Hillsborough River on the Kennedy Blvd. Bridge. The Bridge is metal and sways a little as the cars come across it so that may spook some pups, but all of ours didn’t think anything of it.

Upon returning, we showed the girls how to assist a blind person by being a “sighted guide.” The girls paired up and one of them was blind folded, then they took a short walk. We warned them to be kind to their blind folded friend because they were going to switch positions next. After the walk we asked them about their experience and they were surprised that while being blind folded they felt dizzy and off balance. Needless to say, we did not have any other volunteers to be blindfolded. Thanks everyone for being a good sport!

On Thursday, February 27th, the South Sub Group met at the Sun Dial outdoor Mall. The group was joined by Deana Izzo, and out of town puppy raiser guest Peter with his pup Angel. Stuart and Deana led the group through some obedience exercises and then took the group through the mall. Thank you Stuart and Scott for planning a great meeting.

On Saturday, February 28th, the North sub group visited Honeymoon Island State Park. The group met at Francis’s home so they could car pool. They also got to practice pups and people being cozy in close quarters. At the Park, they visited the beach and Nature Center. Guests at this meeting were, again, Deana Izzo, and brand new puppy Thompson. Thanks Francis for organizing and hosting this great meeting.


Suncoast Puppy Raisers Area Coordinators: Chuck and Debbie Hietala
Email: [email protected] Website: www.suncoastpup.org
Phone: 727-515-2105

Suncoast Puppy Raisers are a group of dog loving volunteers raising Guide Dogs in the West Central Florida area for Southeastern Guide Dogs Inc.

01/08/2020

Guide Dog Foundation/Americas Vet Dogs
Suncoast Puppy Raisers Newsletter & Meeting Announcement
January 2020

Suncoast Puppy Raisers
Puppy Saturday Meeting

Date: January, 11, 2020
Time: 10:00Am -12:00PM
Where: Dunedin Downtown Market Lawrence Pioneer Park
Main St. and Douglas Ave, Dunedin FL 34698

The New Year has arrived and we are looking forward to spending it with our Suncoast Puppy Raiser family. Our first meeting of 2020 will be in Dunedin exploring the city’s popular “Downtown Market. “The market runs from November through June from 9:00am-2:00pm and features local foods, crafts and live music. We will meet at the corner of Douglas Ave and Main Street. The north west corner of this intersection is Pioneer Park we will meet in this area.
At last month’s MacDill Airforce Base’s Christmas Picnic, pups Rae and JoJo worked hard greeting the kids and adults who came by our booth and Win did some blindfold walks with willing participants. Thank you all for a job well done!

Suncoast Puppy Raisers
[email protected] email
727-515-2105 cell

03/23/2017

Walter B was very interested in the ball at Congo River Golf and developed much better self-control as the evening progressed.

03/23/2017

Pups have many unique challenges here.

08/20/2016

Beeps, the dog formerly known as BeatRice, BeeBee, and a few other things, has a new haircut. She's changed a bit from when she arrived with the Suncoast Puppy Raisers.

06/17/2016

While on vacation Carmen stopped by the Guide Dog Foundation in New York.

06/17/2016

Sunny gets her first haircut.

06/06/2016

Two of our raisers and their pups attended a small Animal Emergency Sheltering Class so that they can join the Florida State Animal Response Coalition (SARC) team that provides shelter and care for animals before, during and after a disaster.

It was a day long class and our puppies were of course a big hit and were awarded official team t shirts at the end of the day. It was a good exposure because the pups were in tight quarters and they had to behave all day.

06/05/2016

Peach got nose to beak with some baby chickens at school on May 10, 2016.

06/05/2016

Every year Sweetwater Kayaks donates kayaks to help the pups build confidence in new situations,

05/11/2016

We have a new puppy in our group. This is Sunny, sponsored by our group, the Suncoast Puppy Raisers. Watch her grow in future posts of this group.

04/28/2016

We have 3 quite young pups, 4 months old, and this can be a challenge for them. Usually we see our pups being great. In this event we also see them being challenged by their environment and encouraged to overcome their fears as well as difficult obstacles. Remember to click on a picture so you can read the comments for each.