Today my heart is so full.
The end goal seems simple: raise and train a puppy into adulthood, teach it basic social skills associated with a service dog, and eventually, after a little more formal training, they will go off to do big things. Seems simple, but once so much time and effort goes into spending with these animals its almost impossible not to realize the impact they will have on someone's life.
Meet Mambo. He is the littermate of my sweet Rumba. Mambo's story is a little different than most of the dogs raised through the foundation. He was actually selected to be a VetDog, a service dog that assists disabled veterans. However, when his time came to go to formal training in New York there were no more VetDog spots and, thus, was placed in the Guide Dog program.
"I think the switch happened because he was meant to be the dog for Bob," Megan Williamson, Mambo's puppy raiser stated. Bob Gold, a visually impaired gentleman, had specifically asked for the "biggest and best" GDF had to offer. Conveniently they knew that Mambo was a gentle giant that has always been willing to work, so when the time came for a dog to be matched with Bob there was no question it would be Mambo. It was a match made in Heaven.
Bob lives with his wife in Tampa, FL. He doesn't have a dog of his own and says that having Mambo means more freedom, love, and independence for both him and his wife.
If you have never heard of the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc. or America's VetDogs I strongly encourage you to check out their website and learn more. As you can see this is a wonderfully selfless group, and ensures those with disabilities live as close to normal lives as possible.
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